His First Hybrid
by Roxu
Summary: A month ago, I was dreading the full moon, I was stressing over money, and I was just barely getting by. Now, I have a power to hone that is actually mine, I have a leader that I know more then myself sometimes, and will prove to him that he doesn't have to be alone in everything. They called me The Gray Alpha, but now I am commonly known as His First Hybrid. Niklaus/OC Eventually
1. A Pleasant Surprise

** Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

** His First Hybrid** – _A Pleasant Surprise_

**August 24, 2010 – Smoky Mountains, Tennessee –**

"Ray, pick up your damn phone!" I growled into the beeping voicemail, flipping the cellphone shut and jamming the device back into the back of my jeans. I was fucking irritated at this point, especially when I seemed to have a temper issue on the day/night of the full moon, but I also didn't particularly like to be asked to purchase more tents and camping supplies.

I, truthfully and honest to whoever's higher out there, did not like the woods. I may be a Werewolf, and perhaps I've been one longer than most in terms of my age being only twenty-four, but I damn-well loathed the forests. A lot of people believe that when werewolves wake up, they are clueless of the previous night and what they have done, and that is partially true. But some, the more experienced, can receive nightmares or daydreams – flashes of your fangs sinking into the fur of rabbits' skin and bones, warm blood splashing onto your tongue – and the sickening aspect of it all, is that what your remember is something you would not mind doing again, and you enjoyed it.

It sickened me – but being a werewolf was a part of me, and I could not deny the fact that some things had its perks, while other things had its cons. Nearing the campsite, I threw down the grocery bags of the nearest convenient store I had located earlier, but paused – the soles of my trainers frozen against the leaves and twigs beneath my feet. It was quiet, very quiet.

I knew, that if I could virtually hear the crickets chiming and the toad frogs croaking – that something was dreadfully wrong. Eyes flashing a vibrant gold, my vision enhanced from the small feat of power – something I had learned as a second alpha to this pack, but it did not seem like a feat when I finally saw the horror and gore around me.

Bodies littered the forests floor, some facedown, others lying against a tree, on their back, huddled to each other for a pained comfort. I didn't understand what was happening, and terror reverberated through my entire system as I viewed some of my closest friends. My hand shot up to cover my mouth, because I knew that whoever had done this, there was a chance they were still present in the premises of the area.

That was – until I saw my sister. A choked cry broke free from my clamped hands, and I collapsed to her side as tears streamed down my face. She was lying on her side, fresh blood caked underneath her eyes and the sticky substances causing her hair to cling to her abnormally pale face. "Paige!" I moaned in dread, gently grabbing her shoulders, twisting her on her back and unleashing another deep cry when I saw her caved chest – her heart missing from the cavity. "_Noooooo_!"

Internal pain ruptured through me, and I was uncertain if it was near time for me two shift, or if it was the agony of seeing my only family left lying dead on the ground. Hands shaking, mouth parted as I wept, I clenched my teeth and fought to not sob uncontrollably. She was the only reason I had assisted Ray in gathering a pack, she'd encouraged me, explaining that my abilities as a werewolf were uncommon – that I could be powerful.

Paige had been my light when things had grown dark – and she was now prone in a puddle of her own blood.

Looking up sharply, I widened my eyes at the sight of a man. He was tall, with cerulean blue eyes, a chiseled face, and hair that I was uncertain of in this lighting. When his eyes flashed amber, black veins darkening prominently above his high cheekbones – I knew who he was, and the thought was terrifyingly painful when I comprehended that he had done this. "_You_," I gasped, my glowing glare cutting into his own. "You did this."

"Oh, well look – a pleasant surprise," he responded.

Peering down once at Paige, I pinched my lips together before whirling around and sprinting away with all of the speed I could muster. I knew I could resist transition for a while, but the full moon made me severely weak. Stumbling down the hill I had been trekking up earlier, I caught myself almost falling several times. My knees felt like jello, my whole body was burning with the need to shift to my monstrosity other-half.

The full moon blared down at me mockingly, its light showing me a path through the trees to where my natural instincts would take me to my Ford Explorer down at the bottom of the mountain, the valley. The set of keys in my front right pocket felt as if it was burning, scorching through the material of my jeans against my thigh.

I knew who Niklaus Mikaelson was, rumors had spread like wild fire when news had broken out that he had accomplished in breaking his curse – that he was now a Werewolf/Vampire Hybrid. His age was what set me off into a panic, though, because I knew that being over a thousand year's old gave him experiences that many could not come to dwell in understanding – I felt as if he knew my next move, that he knew my next words, my next breath – simply because he has existed for such a prolonged period.

I almost scoffed a hysterical laugh when my Nike-cladded left foot jammed itself between the forests floor and a deracinated tree root. It was straight out of one of those cliché killer flicks, and I was fucking one of those girl's in the little-to-none clothing while screaming their heads off. Instead of my knees impacting against the ground first, my body decided to twist itself while descending. On normal circumstances, that was a dumb move – but I was resisting transition, I was in a half-mind of losing the movements of my limbs to begin with.

Uncomfortable heat flared through my ankle, and my fists clenched as the bone cracked and even the soothing warmness my senses provided as it began automatically mending did not soften my erratic nerves. I scrambled to my feet, stumbling, but tensed when a new presence alerted me through smell. Growling animalistic, I pivoted on my good foot and scowled into the face of Niklaus Mikaelson.

"I am not a typical Werewolf, you abomination," I said lowly, my voice rasped with the constant urge to howl. My eyes, I could tell, were flickering between my normal dark green to a liquid gold.

"I can see that, love," Niklaus stared at me, mesmerized. He began forming a half-circle around me, his footwork graceful and his stance mirroring a predator stalking its vulnerable prey. His English accent struck a spike of fear through me, and albeit I fought to remain unaffected, it was a fleeting effort. "But please, do not be quick to bash me so easily. I mean, you _are_ going to be my first Hybrid. My _first_ loyal comrade in arms."

He voiced out his words as if he thought this through for days, finding and searching for errors in his scheming plan, and when he had located them, he had conquered and repaired those problematic occurrences to his immediate satisfaction – when in reality, it had been a mere few seconds. I bared my teeth at him, rage broiling through my stomach and overpowering my terror for a few short words.

"You expect me willing?" my eyes held unshed tears. "You murdered _my_ _sister_! My _pack_!"

"Oh, yes – Ray is a wee puppy compared to yourself, is he not? An Alpha female," Niklaus's vivid blue eyes shimmered with amusement, "such a commanding, influential title." It was small at first, but his expression gradually shifting into something not human – and while his face externally remained cold and unmoving, I could see it – my inner-wolf trembled at the power unexpectedly radiating from his aura. "But you see, love, there is only _one_ Alpha here, and that is _me_."

The aching and torment searing through my muscles forced me to my knees, and in a blur of a gray shirt and tan skin, Niklaus was a mere inches away from my kneeling form. His fangs were released from his upper-row of gleaming white teeth, his eyes glittering a vibrant gold with inky black flowing through his cornea. It was the most beautiful, but also the most repulsive thing I had ever witnessed.

I whimpered low in my throat when his hand flashed forward, slender fingers grazing my cheek and the pads of his fingertips brushing against my ear and into the curls of my auburn hair. "Why must you resist, love? _Shift_." His command was spoken with such dominance, with such clarity, I screamed when my spine shifted backwards, my head snapping back as my bones began altering and adjusting themselves. He seemed to relish in the fact of me transitioning, releasing his hold on my cheek and instead curling his fingers into my frayed hair. "That a girl," his grin was devious, "let us see what you can do, little Alpha."

My eyes rolled back into my head, and the last and priory thing I was aware of, was the gleam in Niklaus's eyes. Like he had won himself a prize, like he had great plans for me – plans that I never desired to be aware of.

* * *

**August 25, 2010 – Smoky Mountains, Tennessee –**

A ray of sunlight brightened my vision beneath my closed eyelids, sparking my vision a headache-worthy orange as a groan slipped past my lips, the movement of my mouth conflicting with my aching jaw. I could vaguely hear the sound of chirping birds and gentle winds breezing through the treetops, but it was distant to focus on due to all of the other things going on around me.

I forced myself to sit up, swallowing harshly as the taste of copper drifted down my throat. I could feel blood sticking to my chin, throat, and some on my bare chest and stomach. A scowl twisted my mouth as I recalled certain events from the previous night, which involved primal growls, Niklaus's cheerful and jovial laughter, as well as a lot of blood and the intense pleasure of my kills.

A twig snapped to my right. I snapped my head in that general direction in alarm. I could imagine how I looked, naked and bare, with my wild auburn hair probably unruly with twigs and leaves mixed into the tresses. If it was a hiker, they'd either gaze at me like I was insane, or just turn around and attempt to forget the events in the future. Instead, though, a scent drifted into my range – and it was the smell of a Vampire.

A teenager stepped through the foliage of the tree-line, strolling casually into the long-grassed field my wolf had made rest on. He was the same height as Niklaus, with a deep-set of forest green eyes and short dark blond hair that was currently mused and styled with products. For some odd reason, with his handsome look and generous athletic build, I imagine him with a heartwarming smile that revealed a straight row of white teeth – but instead I was gifted with a blank expression and a haunted darkness lurking beneath those emerald eyes.

"I gather this is your bag?" the boy asked, tossing me a gray duffel bag into the clearing. He seemed indifferent to my nudity, and I observed him with a sharp keenness as I gathered my shaky legs beneath me. There was two graffiti names across the side, something that Paige had drew to label her and my stuff when we took these camping trips for the weekends every full moon.

"You gathered right," I replied tensely. Without looking up at him, I zipped open the bag and yanked out my pair of sports bra and underwear. I had brought a pair of shorts, but decided to snag Paige's ripped jeans instead, because I had a feeling that there was not going to be much hiking today. Next, I yanked on my black tank top, as well as the ankle combat boots I had dragged along. My hair was a lost cause, so I simple raked my fingers through it, trying to get most of the leaves, dirt, and twigs free by shaking it around.

I searched in a side-pocket of the duffel, clasping my sister's silver ring that she had placed in there, knowing that the shifting would have happened last night, and she had not been willing to risk losing the family heirloom. Glancing upward, sharply, I gritted my teeth when realizing that the Vampire had not yet taken his eyes off of me – so getting the stake free of the bag was going to be a no-go.

"All done," I announced, standing up and brushing my palms against the thighs of my jeans. My footsteps were wary as I approached the seemingly teenage boy, but he was merely stiff and silent. "May I ask of your name?"

"Why?" he asked, the word coming out snappish.

"Well, considering Niklaus is technically taking me unwillingly, I guess I should know the name of the vampire that will be undoubtedly keeping watch over me." I rolled my eyes, moving my shoulders and stretching my arms, attempting to relieve the rigid muscles underneath my skin.

"Stefan," he answered shortly.

"Such an old and uncommon name," I mused. "You can address me as werewolf."

"That's not your real name," he responded in a low tone of dark sarcasm, his voice snide.

"Of course not, I would never dare to ever give an important thing to such as you my true name," I bared my teeth at him, olive eyes igniting with a deep animosity. "And you would do well to remember that,_ vampire_."

Something curled the edges of his mouth, and before I could blink, he had his hand on my shoulder, his fingernails digging into my surprisingly pallid skin. "Listen, _werewolf_, _you_ would do well to not use that kind of attitude in front of Klaus – you may be the only werewolf he has in his possession right now, but you are replaceable, such watch that tongue."

I scoffed bitterly, but narrowed my eyes at him. His words were urgent, like he was warning, but the way he spoke – it was a threat. If I was to be disposed of, it would be by Stefan's hand, not Niklaus's. Smiling falsely, I wrenched away from his grip, strolling forward to where I could smell the Original Hybrid. I had to formulate a plan to escape from these two men, and very fast. I could snap Stefan's neck easily as long as he was not expecting it, but I was uncertain on how to get away from Niklaus. He was a puzzle – what were his weaknesses? Did he have weaknesses? I was certain a stick to the chest would at least immobile him for a few minutes (probably seconds) – but it had to be out of these mountains, somewhere public where there are plenty of places to hide and slither myself through.

Licking my lips, I steeled myself when Niklaus's form came into my peripheral vision. He was leaning against an expensive Lincoln Navigator, his arms folded across his chest and a rugged smirk turning the left side of his mouth upward. "Well, look who has arrived. Love, may I say that you look ravishing – and you did not clean off all of the blood from those tempting lips of yours."

I glowered at his words. "You have taken me captive, I would appreciate my dignity to stay intact, which means no sexual or intimate anything – no talking at all, actually, would be fine with me."

Niklaus grinned wolfishly. "I do admire a woman's passion, and I will steadily ignore your demand, for the sake of your body staying in one piece." He yanked open the passenger door and pulled out two items that caused my heart to skip a beat. The first one was a gold ring just like the one I had collected from my sister's and my duffel bag, hers was silver and mine was gold. It was a moon phase ring, the transitions carved into the sides of the rings. "I believe this is yours," he dropped the ring into my palm just as he cuffed the same wrist with the wolfsbane-laced metal.

I hissed as I was slammed into the side of the SUV, my other arm wrenched behind my back and cuffed as well. I grunted in discomfort. "What happened to 'first loyal comrade', hybrid? I believe for me to be your second, there will have to be a distinguished trust between us, yes?"

He chuckled ruefully. "You are a sly minx, love – but, unfortunately for you, I do not trust anyone. I will let that be your problem to deal with."

I began conjuring up a snarky reply, but I was shoved into the backseat of the black SUV, frowning grimly as Stefan got in beside me with an apathetic expression. My glare only grew as we departed from the mountains, my pack lying behind us with only the expectation of rotting into the forest soil.

* * *

**August 26, 2010 – Chicago, Illinois –**

"Welcome back to Chicago, Stefan, little Alpha," Niklaus announced, too enthusiastic and cheerful that it left a bad taste in my mouth. He placed the car into park outside of what seems to look like an industrial warehouse? I was not certain, due to the only source of light being from the headlights.

Stefan tensed beside me from the back, and I relaxed in my seat because I knew he was also going to get out of the car. Something about Stefan, who I learned was only a century and something old, that unnerved me. It made me want to question his motives, and why he was with the Hybrid to begin with. "What are we doing here?" Stefan asked, his back rigid as he opened the back door behind the driver's seat.

"I know how much you loved it here," Niklaus answered, yanking open a door to the side of the warehouse. "Bringing back memories of the good 'ole ripper days." Outside of the door, I could make view of blaring headlights in our direction, it was either a truck with a huge trailer on the back, or an eighteen wheeler.

"Blocked out most of them," Stefan mused absentmindedly. "A lot of blood, a lot of partying. The details are all a blur."

"Well _that_ is a crying shame. The details are what makes it legend," he grinned like the devil he was, that he more than likely knew he was.

As they were conversing back to one another, I struggled to break the handcuffs off my wrist. The wolfsbane stung like a bitch, hurt like a bitch, and smelled like a bitch – but I was not one to give up so hastily. I yanked harshly as my eyes flickered an amber gold, growling underneath my breath when nothing happened. Abruptly though, I felt a strain in the metal of the cuffs.

_SNAP_!

I carefully kept my wrist pinned behind my back against the seats, eyes hooded to act as if I was exhausted from lack of sleep – which was partially the truth since Niklaus had been driving the whole day from Tennessee to Illinois. There was something about the Hybrid that drained you of energy within spending an hour in his company.

A shadow fell across me, and I glimpsed up to see Niklaus smiling, the dimples in his cheeks evident. "Greetings, love – holding up well?"

"What do you think?" I asked, resisting the urge to sneer.

"Well, I think you just made a very bad mistake." Before I could register my shock and surprise, Niklaus curled his lip into a snarl. He lunged forward and grabbed my left leg, directly behind the bend of my knee, and wrenched me toward the opening of the car door. I was not sure how he had even heard the sound of the cuffs breaking in half, but I knew this put me into a situation I could not get myself out of.

The Hybrid's fingers curled around my throat, and I gurgled a choke as he threw me forward, causing me to crash into the paved ground with a harsh slam. I braced my hands to steady my fall, the broken chains of the cuffs clinking against the asphalt. Stefan was merely a few feet away from my still position. Before I could ponder to get to my feet, a hand snatched my hair and I cried out, gasping when Niklaus turned me until I was facing him, his face directly above mine as he began walking me backwards while tightening his hold onto my curls.

"Now, what makes you think, you can do as you please, hm?" he growled.

"You expect me not to?" I swallowed. "I did not ask for this."

"It does not matter what you asked for. I expect you to follow my orders, without hesitation, and perhaps I will allow you to live after tonight." Niklaus liberated his clutch on my mane, entrusting a painful burn to radiate from my scalp as he retreated a few short steps, his eyes calculating as he studied me like I was a test subject in an experiment. "In fact," he said with a smirk, "I think that I have a challenge for you, love – a tryout, if you will."

I cringed away from his scrutiny gaze. "What are you talking about?" There was something in his expression that caused my legs to tremble.

"We're going to see my favorite witch," he explained brightly. Niklaus smiled at me, and without further ado for more suspense, he bit into his wrist and pressed it into my lips, wrapping his free arm around my waist to keep me from ripping myself away from the taste of his blood in my mouth. "If anyone can help us with our Hybrid problem, it's her."

His group loosening purposely, I staggered away and coughed into my forearm, wanting the metallic taste to expel as soon as possible.

Niklaus grinned viciously. "And my dear, you are going to be the temporarily Hybrid problem."

Before I could comprehend the horror of this situation, he grabbed my head in-between his hands, and twisted.

My sharp breath of air that I inhaled was filled with dust and the taste of cheap liquor permanently embedded into the musky air of the building. The plush leather sofa I was lying on did not comfort the intense pain radiating directly behind my eyes.

"Stefan, why don't you go and fix us up a little something behind the bar. And perhaps something a little stronger for our little Alpha here."

". . . Yeah, sure thing."

I moaned softly, squeezing my eyes shut. I heard the words, "A Hybrid out to make more Hybrids", before warm, slender figures peeled one of my eyes open, and then my upper-lip. "That kind of news travels," the mysterious woman – I had to guess she was the witch – spoke with curiosity and almost distaste. "Oh honey. Stefan make that drink with the oldest I got up there . . . Has she –?"

"Been given fresh blood? Yes, she is transitioning as we speak." Klaus was indifferent. It currently made me want to rip off the smug grin he easily formed, but the only thing kept me in check was the sullen, almost desperate frown on his face. "So what am I doing wrong? I _broke_ the curse."

"Obviously you did something wrong." The silence that Niklaus made was not one of patience. "Look, every spell has a loophole, but a curse that old . . . we'd have to contact the witch who created it."

Now perching on the edge of the sofa, I grabbed my face into my hands. So this was the 'trial' he was speaking of, transitioning me into a hybrid and seeing if I could live through it? He was a fool. I may be an Alpha Werewolf, but that doesn't mean I'm an invincible one that can resist something to this magnitude without killing myself. "_Why_?" I groaned. "You don't even know how to fix this!"

"Well, it seems we will have to contact the Original Witch, love," Klaus announced, calmly. "She's also very _dead_."

_Wonderful._ I unexpectedly stood up to my feet, which felt like they had lead strapped to the soles. I practically dragged myself to the bar in front of Stefan, flashing him a begrudgingly grateful smile when he placed a shot glass of Sierra Silver tequila in front of me.

"I know." the witch said. "And for me to contact her, I'll need help."

I drowned it quickly, pinching my lips tight when the alcohol scorched down my throat. I vaguely heard someone mentioning a name of "Rebekah", but it blurred in my hearing range when I realized that there was a high chance of me dying. And the last thing I want to do, was to just give up and let myself _die_. As weird as it sounds, that bastard Hybrid obviously sees something in me – something that could resist the transition until they can figure out this problem? Could I though? Is it simply a battle of will?

_ A battle of will, huh?_

* * *

_"No! You _monster_!" The screech of dread and agony was coming from a woman in the corner of the kitchen, who was holding herself up with a shaking hand against the handle of the refrigerator/freezer door. A purple bruise was blooming harshly against her right eye, and her red apron was torn at the skirt – but all she could focus on was her eleven year-old daughter who dropped the gun on the ground with a sorrowful expression._

_ I didn't understand why mother still sounded so afraid, and why she had called me a 'monster'. I thought that dad was the monster, it was what she regularly shouted at him when he began beating on her when he came stumbling in, drunk from a night of heavy-drinking at the bar. I'd heard her several times threaten him by a gun – but then they'd retreat to their room, and there was only silence besides an occasional high-pitched shriek._

_ I didn't understand. I thought I had done the right thing, and as I watched dad drop to his knees, blood pooling around the torso of his plaid flannel shirt, I still mused that everything had gone as it should have gone. Paige was at a sleepover, and now we were safe, the 'monster' was gone. I smiled hastily at mom, for some reason the shaking and shivers running through my arms and back were becoming increasingly consistent. "See momma? I did what you said!" _

_ "No! _No_!" And for whatever illogical reason, the middle-aged woman dropped to her knees in front of father, grabbing his head and cradling him in her lap. "It's okay, honey. It's okay." Her eyes snapped up and she glared at me with animosity. "What are you doing?! Call the police! He needs to go to the hospital!"_

_ "But why? I heard you _say_ –"It felt like something sharp and long, like a poker stick straight out of a fiery furnace, had jammed itself straight into my spine. With a sharp cry, and wide eyes, I collapsed almost immediately on my side and curled into a fetus position when the agony ripping through my bones only grew more intense. _

_ A sheen layer of sweat caked my skin, and I screamed pleadingly for help. What was happening? What was this? Was this the wrath of God, striking me down from murdering someone? But I only did what mom said she was going to do! Why am I being punished? Groaning with my voice rasped from the constant yells croaking through my throat, I struggled to get into a crawling position._

_ My eyes flicked to my mother's, and I began crying hysterically. "Momma, what's happening?" _

_ What she saw, from me, plagued her with an expression of pure terror. "N-No, not you too! _No_! _NO_!" _

_ "Oh God, i-it hurts! J-Ju – make it _stop_!"_

_ It just so happened that there was a supernatural gene in my family, through my father's bloodline, and the night I just so purposely killed someone under the wrong, childish idea – it was a full moon. _

_ That night, something took control of my body and mind and I viciously and without mercy, killed my mother and father._

* * *

_ I think considering that night and that following morning, I can take anything that is being forced upon me. If it is a battle of will, I can overcome this._

"What is this?"

I shook off of my ponderings when Stefan's incredulous voice spoke up, and I glanced at his gray button-up shirt, pale face, and questioning gaze before flickering my eyes at the old photograph in-between his clenched hands. I could not make out the two people in the picture, but I had a feeling one of them was the boy in question right now.

Klaus overlooked the tone in Stefan's voice, instead he responded almost mockingly and was talking as if speaking to a child. "Well, I told you Stefan." He stood up to his feet from the chair he had been resting in, his boots thumping against the wooden flooring as he took a few steps forward. "Chicago's a magical place." He was referring to the witch's strong powers to assist him with the Hybrids.

"But this is me." Stefan was a mass of confusion, as if he could not finalize what he was seeing, and how it was remotely possible. "With you." He shoved the photograph toward Niklaus, right beside my head where I leaned back and observed the gray and white picture with mild interest. They looked the same now, of course, but were wearing ruffled, undone dress shirts and Klaus's hair was shoulder-length and slicked back with oil.

I released a dry laugh and examined my empty shot glass. "Looks like I'm not the only one who needs a drink," I said with a snicker. I considered pouring myself another drink, but Niklaus gripped my wrist and tugged me from the barstool. He began dragging me toward the exit of the bar. "What? Should I not stay and let the witch do something witchy with me?"

"No," he was in a foul mood. "Without Rebekah she cannot do anything remotely useful with the curse."

The bar was only directly beside the warehouse where the coffins of Niklaus's temporarily-dead siblings were stored, so within twenty paces he was banging open the metal door to the building. I had fortunately been unfettered from his vice-like grip, him taking pity when I began complaining lowly that the transition was rendering me more sensitive to pain or contact of any. And it wasn't a false claim either – even the wind of summer felt chill and cold against my skin.

"Your sister? I knew another Original Vampire?" Stefan scoffed at the picture of him in the twenties. It seemed to me that Stefan was more tied to the Original family then he had imagined – or had been forced to forget by compulsion. It was in these moments that I was happy to be a werewolf entity, because I could not be compelled by vampires, even that of the Originals.

"If you can't handle it, then don't ask." Klaus approached a polished mahogany coffin that had been placed on a stand, dust layered the top, signaling that it had not been touched in a long while, possibly years for it to collect that much on one layer.

I leaned myself against the coffin to his left, folding my arms with a grimace as he unlatched the top-half of the casket. The woman inside was breathtakingly beautiful, despite her skin being ashen gray with veins bulging from her paper-like flesh. She looked from another era, with her fancily curled blonde hair, jeweled white dress, and pearled jewelry. She favored Niklaus though, you can tell by a mere glance from a distance of their keen and slender resemblance.

The Hybrid brushed his hand along her cheek, almost lovingly if he was capable of such a thing.

"I don't recognize her," Stefan said, studying Rebekah.

"Well, don't tell her that. Rebekah's temper is worse than _mine_." Well, at least he admits his faults. Niklaus gripped the dagger from his sibling's chest, yanking it out easily with the right angle so it pulled free without a hitch. He gazed at her with a nostalgic expression. "Time to take up, little sister." You would expect a smile at the end of that title, but there was no smile – he contained a blank expression. One that read: acceptance; not relief, but reluctant acceptance.

My legs were sore, almost until the point of brief bursts of pain, so I gripped the handles of the coffin behind me, and lugged myself on top into a sitting position. The ache behind my eyes was growing stronger as well. Niklaus shifted toward me when he heard the commotion of me shuffling around. A smirk formed on his face when he saw what I was doing. "Now, what is this? If Kol were back from the dead, he would snap your neck for such disrespect, love . . ."

I glowered at him. "Snapping my neck would feel better, at this point."

He finally frowned, but not in anger like you would expect. He disregarded the fact that Stefan began pacing back and forth, advancing toward me until he was prior. He beckoned with a hand. "Lean forward," he commanded. Considering he was the only person present and alive with knowledge of the curse, I did so without complaint. He widened my eyelids with his thumb and forefinger, checking thoroughly before grasping my chin and raising my upper-lip to examine my top-layer row of white teeth. "Wondrous. You are actually resisting quiet well. You should be bleeding from your eyes about now, but you are not – which leads me to believe that you are quiet our little Alpha, now aren't you?"

"And what if I was bleeding from the eyes?" I ask.

"That is easy . . . I'd rip your heart from your chest – I do not have any interest in a comrade who cannot complete a task I set before them, understand?"

I wasn't necessarily given a choice. "With all of my pain." I smiled forcefully, and he chuckled in return. When his back was facing me, though, the smile I face formed faded into a wince. I wasn't '_quiet our little Alpha_' anything. The pain was near excruciating.

Klaus returned to the side of his sister's casket, holding one of the handles with both of his hands while making an impatient expression. "Any day now, Rebekah." He half-smiled at Stefan, but you easily distinguish that his forbearance was dwindling rapidly. "She's being dramatic."

Stefan placed his hands on his hips – he hadn't stopped pacing. It was obvious he had a lot on his mind, with him being here in the twenties, with him knowing Klaus and his sister without _actually_ knowing them. "Look, why don't you just tell me what the hell is going on?" His voice grew innocent as he now stopped pacing adjacent to Niklaus, his arms crossed and his expression intensely persistent. "I mean, you obviously want me here for a reason, right? Not to just babysit a _dog_?"

I growled at him for the insulting comment, and if I wasn't hardly able to move, I would have punched him as hard as I could. Klaus was humored by it, though, barking out a laugh. "Well, you have many useful talents. Surprisingly, that is not one – considering she could have easily escaped earlier, if I had not heard the handcuffs breaking."

Stefan was bemused.

Niklaus snapped his fingers in thought, grinning devilishly. "In fact, I learned some of my favorite tricks from you."

The young vampire was not smiling. "Hmm."

The Hybrid smirked mysteriously, but said no more. Instead, he shoved past Stefan and offered me his arm, signaling that we were leaving the warehouse, his patience waning enough for him to not be here when his sister will awaken. After daggering someone for that many decades, though, I would want to be away from the scene as well. I was shocked that he was that courteous to assist me, but I didn't look into it too deep, I knew that this monster could catch a glance from me the wrong way and easily kill me if he wished or just felt like it.

When I was on my two feet, he began trudging ahead of us with determined steps. "I was your number one fan." He didn't swivel his head back to grin at Stefan, but it was all the more there, I was certain. As he spoke it, I could hear the undertone of sarcasm and jest in his voice.

"Why should I believe any of this?" Stefan asked.

Klaus circled the bend of an isle in the warehouse, where the compelled human that had transferred his siblings' coffin on that trailer from earlier was standing obediently. "When she wakes up," he said, "tell her to meet us at Gloria's bar." _That's the witch's name. _"Then volunteer your carotid artery and let her feed until you die." I shivered repulsively, how he could say that so freely and without a care was beyond my understanding.

"Are we going to Gloria's?" I asked. Something about the witch from earlier set off alarms in my head, but all witches set off caution – so it was not an unfamiliar feeling. Witches were bad news, in my view.

"No. Not yet."

I scowled at the disappointment. Despite the voodoo warning, alcohol was something I could take pleasure in at the moment. It might force me to relinquish some resistance on this whole Hybrid-shifting ordeal, but it could save me from some burning pain at the moment. Fuck, I needed some strong stuff, if that was going to happen.

"Where are you going?" Stefan frowned at the vague response.

Niklaus thought about his answer. "You think I'm lying, Stefan. You and I knew each other. You trusted me with one of your secrets and now I'm going to prove it to you."

"How?"

"We're going to your old apartment."

I honestly didn't care that the lock was broken on Stefan's door apartment, Niklaus seemed cautious enough, but I truthfully just wanted to sit down and bury myself into a bed or a pillow or as if right now, the floor would be comfortable enough.

As Stefan and Niklaus conversed about the fact that it has been vacant for decades, I strolled over and collapsed on top of the quilt-covered mattress with a small groan. "Dammit," I spat out. "I think I'm going to throw up," I proclaimed unsteadily.

"Easy, love, remember our discussion." Niklaus reminded as a dark expression crossed his face. Yeah, I recall the 'rip your heart out of your chest' conversation very well, thank you – of course, I was not going to say _that_ to him. Bleeding from the eyes or puking, he would murder me in cold blood for just speaking to him in that tone of voice.

Stefan peered around in awe, a wistful frown dulling his expression. "Why'd you bring me here?"

"Your friend, Liam Grant, the one who drank his wife's blood – I never could figure out why you wanted his name." Niklaus examined me on the bed as he spoke, absently. "And then you told me your little secret." He pivoted his head in Stefan's direction, and it sounded like admiration seeping into his voice. "It was all part of your special little ritual."

I raised my eyebrows in curiosity, but the notion of what Niklaus was talking about sent my stomach doing rolls – and not the good kind.

"To write it down," Stefan whispered, slightly disoriented.

"And relive the kill . . . over and over again." As Niklaus spoke, excitement shone in his eyes.

"That is sick," I frowned, disgusted. "And you _don't_ want me to throw up?"

Flashing me a dimpled grin, Niklaus, with a slight skip in his step, turned to the shelf that was behind him, and grabbed the sides. I propped open my mouth in amazement when I saw rows of old, bottled alcohol – completely ignoring the fact that Stefan had carved his past Ripper victims into the wall probably beside that.

And then I heard it. The transition had effortlessly arose my senses into a higher caliber, an almost inflicted caliber, and I could now hear things that I had priory not focused on as a normal Werewolf. And it was the frantic pulsing heartbeat that banged inside of a chest within the closet. For some reason, I was sympathetic – because I knew Stefan was going to tell Klaus of the innocent human on the other side of the wall.

But I waited and peered at his back as he only stared at the other participant inside of the hidden room. His expression was akin to horror and adoration – and that's when I realized he knew the person, and I was now interested in this development. "Look what I found," Stefan announced, extending his arm forward and grasping a wine bottle.

I swiftly schooled my face and allowed myself to brighten. "Anything with alcohol in it."

"1918." Niklaus smirked. "Single malt. My favorite."

I raised my eyebrows suggestively. "Sounds heavenly."

"Hmm," Stefan agreed.

"Let's go and find someone to pair it with." Niklaus shifted hands with the bottle, grinning at us as sly as a fox. He offered me his arm. "Need some assistance, love?"

"No. Um, c-can I just stay here, and you two just go to Gloria's? I really – I have a feeling large crowds and loud noises isn't the best thing for me." When Niklaus's suspicion was evident just in his face, I hastily added, "I have nowhere to go. And no one. Besides, I'm positive you could easily find me if you desired to. Fuck, I'm kind of not capable of running right now, anyways."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Stefan's response was too quick, and I narrowed my eyes at him, gazing at him as if he was an idiot. How foolish can someone be?

Niklaus glared at Stefan, annoyed. "Not your call, mate. What? Afraid little Alpha will get cozy on your bed?" He rolled his eyes, and then directed his cerulean blue eyes to my olive green. "Yes, love. Don't stray too far, hear?"

He is talking to me like I am a child. "I hear fine." When Niklaus began exiting the apartment while examining the bottle, I flickered my eyes to meet Stefan's. I smiled widely at his vigilant expression. "What is with the wariness, Stefan? I am not your _girlfriend_." As I spoke, his eyes inflamed with anger and hostility.

"Stefan!" Niklaus called impatiently from the hall. The young vampire's face promised agony and broken bones if I dared so much as touched the human inside of the hidden room, and I smiled as gently as possible without having him lunge at me. He hesitantly fled the room so Niklaus was not to get skeptical or dubious of his sudden interest in my welfare.

As soon as I was aware that they were out of the apartment, I fled to the bathroom and threw up all of my stomach contents – which happened to be warm blood and alcohol. I gripped the corners of the toilet seat, struggling to stop my knees from giving out. My vision enhanced and dimmed, and I clenched my teeth when I realized my eyes were flickering gold and green. I wondered if I would begin craving blood, because of what I was aware, Hybrids needed blood just like a vampire, which was almost revolting in every sense.

When I was finished heaving, I flushed the toilet and staggered to my feet, bracing my hand behind me for balance. I abruptly blurred and appeared directly in front of the girl that had been in the closet, and was currently attempting to flee the room without me knowing or stopping her. "No, no," I hushed her as her eyes grew wide with fear, "I am not going to harm you."

"How can I believe you? Who are you? Do you work for Klaus?" She was a pretty human that much was sure. Long, straight chocolate brown hair, olive tan skin, brown doe-like eyes, and full lips – no wonder Stefan had had an expression akin to deeply-induced affection. But there was something else despite looks, she was determined for me to answer her questions despite knowing I was a werewolf, and I briefly respected her for her stupidity.

"Well, for one I'm dying. My name is Eleanora Gray. And I do not work for Niklaus, at least not willingly."


	2. Proving Wrong

** Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

** His First Hybrid** – _Proving Wrong_

**August 26, 2010 – Chicago, Illinois – Stefan's former apartment**

The human girl had staggered backward from me, the fear of the supernatural still flashing in her taupe eyes as she clutched her ebony purse to her chest like it could somehow form a protection barrier between us. "H-How can I trust you?" Skepticism clouded her voice, she bit her lip as she flicked her gaze to the doorway behind me, wistfully.

"As a werewolf, I cannot be compelled. And as it may seem, I was forced to follow the Hybrid." I struggled to gift her with a half-smile, at least attempting to futilely calm her erratic and spastic movements. She was patently frightened by my company, and I could hardly blame her – I could only creatively imagine how I looked in appearance. I was sweating, sickly pale, and shivering with pain.

She peered at me with confusion and surprise, bring her hand up to her own face as she traced the area below her eye with a single fingertip. "Y-You're bleeding . . ."

Apprehension and defeat hit me like a tidal wave of emotions, but I let out a quiet laugh as I reached up and tried to wipe away the stream of warm blood away from my eyes. "Ah, yes – that was bound to happen sooner than later."

"I-In the mountains, that werewolf, h-he was bleeding from the eyes." She bit her bottom lip again. "Are you trying to turn into a Hybrid?"

The bitter laugh that escaped me was rough, harsh, and it cut through the air like nails scraping against chalkboard in my ears. I moved away from the door, my legs unable to keep me uplifted any longer, and collapsed on the edge of the Queen-sized mattress to my left. The girl didn't bolt to the slightly ajar apartment door like I had anticipated, instead, she swallowed the lump in her throat and shifted her weight from each foot with a nervous expression on her face.

"Yeah, key word: trying. And as you can see, it isn't working out in my favor so far." My chest heaved with coughs, and my vision blurred temporarily. "You said 'mountains', I am guessing you were there when the bastard murdered my _pack_."

"Yeah . . ." She carefully, cautiously, walked over to the sofa that was in front of the bed, nearest to the door so she could easily make an escape if I was to rabidly attack her. I didn't blame her, in fact, it was a smart move and calculation. "He was bleeding from his eyes, too."

I knew I had prolonged my questioning enough, so I steeled her with a narrowed, questionable peer. "Who are you?" It came out in more of a demand then an actual inquiry.

She tensed. "Uh, t-that's, um, complicated –"

"Well, I am aware that you are tracking Stefan, since you are here. You have relations with the young vampire, and he also missed to mention your presence to Niklaus – which means he is protecting you from him." Incredulity made my eyes slightly go wide, and my jaw almost unhinged in realization. "You are Elena Gilbert, the doppelgänger."

Elena's mouth was round in shock that I had deduced and perceived the truth that rapidly, and it made me realize the human had been planning on deceiving me of her true identity. I was not upset, though, because I could have easily detected if she had been lying or not. "N-n – yeah, uh, wow, that – uh, that was fast." She chuckled anxiously.

"You're supposed to be dead."

She grimaced physically, my words paining her to hear. "Yeah, I was. But I'm not."

This was not the ideal situation I had thought I would be in. I for sure as hell did not expect to be talking to the infamous doppelgänger that Niklaus had vividly cursed at, him ranting on about how much of a problem she had been before he had finally gotten the ritual completed. It occurred to me that she was the reason to why the Hybrid trials had failed disastrously, her being alive. But for some reason, I couldn't face her with malice, because I knew if I had been in her position I would have tried to save myself as well, like she did.

"Niklaus is a ruthless being," I commented gradually. "If he were to ever find out you are alive . . ."

"I know, we're being careful."

"We?" I raise my eyebrows in question, but she closed her mouth like she had just made a very bad mistake. It didn't bother me that she had company somewhere, only if they were going to attack me if they saw the state I was in. I chuckled lowly. "If you were being careful, Elena Gilbert, you wouldn't be here."

She pursed her lips. "It's not like that. Stefan – he – Klaus has done this to him. Compelled him to become something he's not."

_I wouldn't be too sure about that, little human. _If I was not mistaken, Stefan took pleasure in his victims. As long as I had been in their presence for the past few days, Niklaus had not compelled the young vampire that had anything related to emotions – no, because the boy was a true Ripper at heart, but of course I was not going to explain that to his heartbroken girlfriend.

"So, why are you here, Gilbert? To sweep the broken vampire off of his high-horse? He's kind of an ass, just saying." I furrowed my eyebrows at my own words. Normally, I was respectful and polite to strangers – this behavior was uncommon. I felt vastly irritated for some odd reason. Heated pain blared in my head, and I grasped my temple, gritting my teeth as darkness overcame my right eye, followed by warm and viscid liquid surging down my cheek. "_Fuck_."

"If you are going to end up like the others that had tried to turn, why did he turn you now?" Elena asked, concerned, and completely unaware of the internal battle I was losing.

"Hell if I should know. He told me it was a challenge," I scoffed out a teary laugh. "A challenge for my _pain_ tolerance, maybe." Something suddenly jerked my neck, and my muscles momentarily halted from functioning correctly. "Shit," I cursed, my vision darkening in and out. "Elena, you need to leave. _Now_!"

Just as she scrambled to her feet, a terrible wail screeched from my throat. I felt like my whole body was abruptly combusted into raging flames, my skin and muscle melting into liquid. It was a feeling that was not fleeting like you would hope and beg for – it was slow and tormenting. I felt myself needing to shift, to kill, and that is when my glowing yellow eyes met the human's.

And even though I knew she was innocent, I knew that I shouldn't do anything to harm her – I could no longer control my body. The venom of the Hybrid curse did, and it was a monster, it was rabid. I lurched for Elena with surprising speed, and my hands clasped her shoulders and the collision knocked her down with my superior weight.

Elena was shouting out, she was screaming for me to come to my senses – but it was far too late for that. Blood coursed down my face, dripping onto her smooth tan skin. All I could hear was the vein in her throat, pulsing greedily, frantically with the fear I could practically taste from her chaotic emotions. "Eleanora, _please_!"

And even though she shoved my shoulders, flailed and thrashed, I was greater in terms of strength. Gripping her long brown hair in my right hand, I pried her head to the side with effortless movements. She was begging, imploring me to stop. I couldn't – her scent was far too alluring to just _stop_, I felt this is what I needed.

Just as my fangs sank into her throat, I heard her scream – no shriek – a male name. "_Damon_!" She cried out in pain and terror that I was going to end her life, and once the sweet blood touched my tongue and I fully inhaled her intoxicating scent – there was a high-chance of that happening in mere, yet endless seconds.

Right when her screech faded into a distressed moan of pain, a palm hit me in the face, slamming me backward into the dresser that was directly in front of the bed. Internally I was just wanting this all to stop, to just end it now so I could forever be in peace knowing I did not kill someone innocent, but externally I was like an animal. I clawed viciously at the attacker pinning me down, and a successful kick to his chest sent him sprawling temporarily across the mattress.

Something was wrong. At first it was like floating above clouds, like the feeling of falling, and then it was like hitting rocks at the bottom of that cliff. Rippling power, but also agony, tore through my veins, and I screamed, rolling off of the tall dresser and crashing against the wooden floor without feeling the impact. Everything came into focus, and then blurred, and then enhanced until I could see every detail with pinpoint accuracy.

Clenching my fists, my mind was in control once more. Something beyond me had happened, I felt alight, as if I was so powerful that I was walking on air – my muscles were not cramped, the sweating had stopped, by God the pain was nonexistent.

That is, until this 'Damon' character seized my head in-between his hands. And for the second time in under twenty-four hours, my neck was snapped.

* * *

**August 27, 2010 – C****hicago, Illinois – Stefan's former apartment**

When I inhaled sharply to regain consciousness, I unraveled and grasped everything that had previously happened. It all made sense. From my knowledge, the curse had been placed on Niklaus by the Original Witch to contain his werewolf abilities. If there was a way to break it, then the Witch had to have had a failsafe, if she wasn't so hell-bent on creating it she had to have had a back-up plan. Witches were like that – deceiving and manipulative.

That failsafe had to have been Elena – the doppelgänger – dying, but she was alive from unknown means in my perspective, and her blood was the final ingredient to the Hybrid transition. I was not positive on how all of that winded up into some grand reasoning, but for some uncanny cause it sounded perfectly understandable in my head.

While awakening on the cold floor of the apartment bedroom, glass and chips of wood biting into my palms, I knew the first thing I had to do was escape Niklaus's clutches while I still had a lasting chance. Staggering to me unsteady legs, I heaved myself into the small bathroom. I immediately turned on the faucet and began scrubbing dried blood off of my face and neck, thankful that the black tank top concealed the blood stains it had obtained.

I felt horrible for what I had did to Elena, and I owed her far more than she realized – she had been my unexpected savior, even if I had mauled into her neck with primal urges. I stared into the mirror above the sink, widening my eyes when I shifted into what was known as a Hybrid. It was the eyes of a Werewolf, but the inky black veins of a Vampire. I was disgusted because of that, but as I had done since a child, I knew I could force myself to come to terms with what I was and am.

I had no money, no means of transportation, no anything – but I knew I could change that. Now that I was a fully-transitioned Hybrid, I had a strange pull toward the Original one. It was as if I had gained a sixth sense that alerted when Niklaus was near, and he was very near, and very fast. Gritting my teeth, I sprinted to the window that was directly above the fire escape staircase.

With a new prominent speed I was not yet adjusted to, I almost flipped myself off of the stairwell when I began practically flying down each flight of stairs. When my feet touched the cracked asphalt of the alleyway, I swiftly took off down to hide myself into the shadows that night's darkness provided. With my luck, he would think I had died from internal reason when he fails to find me.

After sprinting through several blocks and my lungs were screaming for air, I finally forced myself to lean against an apartment complex, gasping for oxygen as the muscles in my legs burned. The first thing I needed to do was steal a car, and get the hell out of this city – and very quickly at that.

With my mind racing a mile a minute, I began testing cars and trucks very attentively for alarms and locks. If there was a spare key hidden somewhere, halleluiah, and if not – I knew how to hotwire without a problem – perks of my sister's dead boyfriend, Derek, being a not-so-law-bound mechanic. I decided to steal an inconspicuous silver car, not too new and not too old, a plain Camry.

Even as I left Chicago, I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that I would see Niklaus again, no doubt, as well as Elena Gilbert – even if I had no desire too and actually would rather just forget those two names that damned my life even more than it already was.

I didn't have my license, but I could get that back from the nearest impound around that hiking and camping area in the mountains. After driving for a good hour and a half, I took regard of the dial on the fuel gauge treading very close to empty. I was almost in Indianapolis, and albeit if I could find my local bank, I could get money from my savings account – but there was no bank that was open twenty-four hours a day.

So saving gas, I parked at a rest area, and reclined the driver's seat back until morning. I knew there was no chance I would be able to sleep, but it was nice to relax the tenseness in my back and shoulders for a change. As I lied there, I began thinking. My eyes drifted closed as I realized there was only a matter of time until Elena Gilbert was to be discovered by Niklaus, and when he did, he would discover my little secret, and then he would no doubt track me down.

I mean, I can cover my tracks. Niklaus didn't know me – he knew I was a Werewolf, and now a 'transitioning' Hybrid gone rabid, but he didn't realize just _who_ I was. I had never told him my name, and he had never asked – but it is Eleanora Gray. Most Werewolves knew my name along the eastern seaboard, they knew it as 'The Gray Alpha'. Of course, I wasn't a gray werewolf, my coat was the color of my natural hair, a dark auburn – but it was meant as a title of respect and strength. Most of them did not even know if I was a woman, a teenager, or a man – but most thought of me as the latter of those three, thinking I was some six-foot-five buffy on steroids that eyes glowed a venomous red. Paige used to joke about it all the time.

But Niklaus Mikaelson thought me to be just an Alpha, a mere twenty-four year-old woman with curly hair, a snide tone, and a five-foot-nine frame.

Well, I've proved people wrong before.

* * *

**August 29, 2010 – Knoxville, Tennessee – Barbara's Salon**

"Honey, are you sure about this?" The woman glanced at me through the shiny, clean mirror at a random beauty shop in downtown Knoxville. She held the cutting scissors in her hand, reluctant to chop away half of my long, curly hair. "You have hair many would die for, why would you want to get rid of it?"

I tipped my head back and gained a sorrowful expression at the thought of having her even cut my hair. "I know. Hey, do you guys not have a charity thing for cancer patients? Just give it to them!"

"Why dontchu just let me dye it for you, Hun? Trust me, if I cut this, you will feel guilty about it later."

I inhaled and gradually exhaled. The woman was damn-well persistent, that much was true. The first thing I had done when I had entered the city of Tennessee was go to the bank (it turns out Indiana nor Kentucky was too far of range). That morning at eight thirty-seven in the morning, I had cleaned out my savings account of ten thousand, five hundred and ninety-five dollars. At first the accountant had been in disbelief and hesitant to even question my motives, but I had created a story, stating that work was far too tasking on my family, and we had decided a month long vacation would be good for my husband and our marriage.

The middle-aged woman had sucked it in like a vacuum, sympathy and worry clouding her faded blue eyes. She had almost simultaneously of handing me an envelope of the hundred dollar bills began gushing out advice and that discovering altering ways to please a man generally keeps them interested. After reassuring her that my 'sex' life did not concern the crumbling 'marriage' – I retreated with a pleasant goodbye from the overwhelming woman.

I ditched the Camry I had drove from Chicago, locating a pleasant Cherokee jeep that had a spare set of keys in a magnetic key-box hidden underneath the car. I had grinned at my luck, but swiftly reminded myself I could technically be causing someone to lose their job, or even stopping someone to drive to the ER in case of an emergency.

Shaking from my thoughts, I eventually shrugged at the woman's anxiety. "Yeah – you know what, you do what you want to. Just make me look like I'm starting a new era and a new life." I smiled briefly at her, resisting the urge to roll my eyes when the young woman clapped her hands with excitement, excusing herself to go grab some color from the backroom.

I gently pulled out the pre-paid phone that I had bought minutes on, dialing in a business number before raising it to my ear. After a minute and a half, somebody finally answered, the voice annoyed. "We don't open until eleven –"

"Hey, Kyle – this is Nora." Truthfully, I did not like the impounding agent, but he had asked me out on a number of countless occasions, so I was positive he would do this favor for me.

"O-Oh, hey, Nor! Haven't seen you around. Danny's been looking around for Derek too . . . Where y'all been?"

"Vacation." I threw out the cover story quickly. "Look, my explorer should have recently been impounded there. I was wondering if you could take out my licenses and keys before it's auctioned."

"Ahh – Nora, I am not really supposed to touch –"

"I know! But this . . . It would mean a lot to me." I made sure to undertone a satisfaction to him if he did complete my request. "Y'know I would really, _really_, be grateful if you did this for me."

There was a pregnant pause of silence on the other end of the line. "Yes – yeah, yeah, just this once, Nora. And then you'll let me take you out to eat?"

"We'll see about that, Skylar."

"Don't call me –!"

I ended the call before he could finish the demand, flashing another smile at the beautician as she returned and began working her magic. "You're lucky you hair is a dark auburn, otherwise I would have to bleach it, and that's totally not healthy for your hair – I never recommend it, by the way. I'm going to dye it black, and throw in some special effects, 'kay? Surprisingly, curly hair is fun play with if you like highlights."

I didn't respond to her, but observed as she transformed me into someone even I hardly recognized. Before she began to adjust the color, the woman cut the frayed ends, as well as creating more layers. The black made me look paler, but now that I was a Hybrid, my skin did not have a sickly sheen to it any longer, in fact, I even had a healthy flush to my cheeks. After dyeing, though, she even began swirling in some brunette highlights.

At first, I frowned at how it looked, but then she rubbed in some products as she told me to let it air dry, since my hair was naturally curly. The beautician even offered to style it for me, once dry, but I was on a tight schedule for the time being – so I politely declined her offer. "My day's kind of booked, but I was wondering if you could point to me the nearest mall around here?"

The woman's brown eyes brightened at the mention of a mall. "It's not that far from here . . ." She gave me a few short directions, and I thanked her immensely before paying for the cut, which was more expensive then I realized – but the she had done a very nice job, so I could not complain.

So, since I actually had no clothes besides the ones I had been wearing for the past three days, I needed to stock up. Of course, I wasn't going to go outrageous and spend a fortune – but I was going to buy a nicely-sized suitcase and fill it up. I started low, purchasing about a dozen comfortable underwear and bras, as well as socks. And then I found jeans, tee-shirts, shorts, pajamas, and a few pairs of shoes – and, to spoil myself, a dress.

I was currently wearing black jeans and an Aztec print cami. Shockingly, this was normal – and not standing out. I kept my combat boots and when looking at myself in any mirror or passing store window – I didn't know who that person was staring back at me, so I guess I was doing something right.

I spent the majority of my day driving to the Impoundment destination, taking stops to only use the bathroom or fill up on gas. When I finally made it to the rundown impound that smelled of gas and leather seats, I was exhausted and didn't really want to face Kyle's ridiculous flirting. But if I had my licensed, virtually anything was possible – like, oh say, a passport? – so it was a necessity that I had to have in my grasp.

But when I made it to the front step of the shop, my step faltered on the cement. I slammed my eyes shut when hunger plummeted my tiresome mood into a one of maddening frenzy. Albeit I was new at the whole 'drinking blood to survive' thing, I was not, however, new at resisting. I could control my urges, but I knew that I needed blood to quench my thirst, and to survive.

The doorbell jingled when I entered over the threshold, and I strained a smile as Kyle's form perked up from his seat in front of the box TV. "Hey there," my expression felt too hollow, and afraid he would notice, I dropped it all together. The last thing I needed him doing was questioning my 'vacation' story.

"Eleanora! O-oh – hey! Yeah, I got your stuff." He got to his feet and went behind the counter at the front of the store that was to my left, searching around until he pulled out a familiar black leather trifold wallet. "Um, I didn't see your keys . . ."

Frowning suddenly, I thought back to recall what I had done with them. I normally would have placed them in the dash since the woods was so secluded where we had all parked.

_'The set of keys in my front right pocket felt as if it was burning, scorching through the material of my jeans against my thigh.'_

_ Hm_. Of course. I shifted and they were discarded along the grown with the remains of my shredded clothing. "Y'know, I have a spare set at the house. It's fine." I grasped my wallet from him and actually smiled genuinely. "Thank you a lot, Kyle. I owe you one."

"One? I think I deserve two," he winked. "A kiss on the cheek maybe, sweetheart? You look stunning, by the way."

A part of me was closing on the edge of slapping the smug, lazy grin from his face – but the other part, the one that was hungry, was manipulating Kyle with a matching smile of his own. "I think I can do a kiss on the cheek, since you complimented me." I maneuvered myself around the small bar, and tested my compulsion. "Lean towards me," I commanded softly.

His pupils dilated, and he did as I asked. I inhaled his scent, kissing his neck momentarily. I exhaled when I felt the hunger take over temporarily, my fangs sinking tenderly into his throat, sucking cannily. As a werewolf, blood tasted just like a kill, it was a temporary pleasure that lasted until you realized it was over. But as this, someone who needed this substance, the blood tasted heavenly. How anyone could waste such precious liquid was beyond me.

When I was finished, I wiped away the remains of the crimson fluid. I bit into my wrist and pressed it against his lips, telling him to drink in a gentle voice. He did as told, of course, and then I explained that he was sleepy and needed to take an evening nap. He nodded tiredly in agreement. Just as he was stumbling to the small sofa in the corner of the room, I snatched my wallet and fled the impoundment, feeling a weight come off my shoulder after consuming a part of his essence.

Sitting inside of the Jeep, which was still parked outside of the Impoundment, I pulled out my cellphone once more. Dialing a number I held it against my ear, leaning my head against the steering wheel. "_Bonjour_?" The voice was like any Frenchman, as soft as silk, and as sly as a fox, especially when this particular Werewolf was involved.

"François, it's almost good to hear your flattering accent." I smiled into the receiver. "Hey, I was wondering if you were in the area. Are you still staying in that studio apartment in New York?"

"It is dee Gray Alpha, coming for 'elp? D'ere is a God!" Albeit François was from Quebec, Canada – most who couldn't tell the difference between Paris and their accents mistake him to be from France. His descendants came from France, but he grew up in the wintery parts of the North. "_Oui_, I am. Need a place?"

"Just for a little while, France. Is that alright?"

"_Mon Dieu_! You ask crazy D'ings! Oui, oui, I will zee you here 'morrow, hm?"

"Y-Yeah, thanks a lot. See you soon." Sometimes the generous hospitality that man unleashed was nearly breathtaking, I was glad he was not a part of a pack – otherwise they would never allow me to enter their territory, at least, not with the fucking Hybrid on my ass.

Rubbing my eyes, I prepared myself for a sixteen-hour drive with over twenty-four hours of missing sleep.

* * *

** August 31, 2010 – New York City, New York – West Broadway Apartments**

"Ya look like shit, chérie." François exclaimed as I stood outside of his apartment door. His accent only held worrisome concern as he pushed the door open wider for me to duck underneath his arm. The Frenchman was only a few inches taller than myself, with short black hair and wide blue eyes. He was in his late twenties, but aging was good to most supernatural beings. "And you changed ya 'air?" He raised an eyebrow at my wild ebony tresses.

I found the nearest piece of furniture I could find, and collapsed atop of his very comfy futon to my left. My eyes fluttered closed, and I let out all of the breath from my lungs, wondering if I could slumber for the next few years with no disturbances. "France, you will not believe the past few days I've had."

He winked in reply, but interest was discernible in his expression. He nodded his head toward the mini-kitchen. I got up and trailed after him, examining his black slacks and the Ralph Lauren white dress shirt he had folded up to his elbows. He slid himself behind the counter, reaching down and pulling out some ingredients. The first two things I saw was a bottle of expensive tequila, and lime juice – and I smiled widely. He returned it. "Dee past familiar, no? Margaritas used dee be ya favorite, chérie."

"They still are, _monsieur_." I smirked lightly as I took the perch on the barstool in front of him, across the bar, observing arduously. "Anyways, you heard of the Mikaelson breaking his curse, yeah?"

"Who hasn't?" Solemnity draped over them, playfulness evaporating.

"Well, he's searching for Werewolves so he can transition them into Hybrids, like an army or something." I picked at one of the stone tiles on the counter with my fingernail, narrowing my eyes into a glare at the surface. "The transitions went wrong. Rabid. He killed Ray, Paige, and the others."

François's hands paused from moving, and his wide dark blue eyes shot up in dismay. "No? Sutton?" His Adam's apple bobbed gradually as he swallowed, his orbs darkened as he realized my situation. "_Merde_," he growled, teeth gritting and prior humor vanishing into the tense air. "_Et vous_?"

_And you_? What exactly did that propose as a question? What of me? Am I now an abomination to all Werewolves alike? Am I categorized as a threat and will be killed on site of being this monstrosity with the vampires? I knew François, albeit he was a laid-back guy, he still had that certain distaste for vampires, especially considering the ruckus they created up here a few years back.

"He forced his blood on me and killed me." Tears glazed my eyes as I locked eyes with him, and I slowly allowed my eyes to flicker a bright gold, black ink pooling inside of my eyes and veins. I glanced away when his expression held shock and horror. I wasn't going to tell him how I survived it, because that secret was enough for me to burden to keep Elena safe for the time-being.

He placed a glass in front of me, a frown tucking at the corner of his mouth. "_Juste quelques jours_, yeah?" He flashed me a small smile.

_ Just a few days._

That was more than I had ever expected.

* * *

**September 1, 2010 –** **New York City, New York – West Broadway Apartments**

That night, I felt like I had slept for eternity, when it was only ten hours. Francois had unfolded the futon for me, and while it wasn't the most comfortable bed I had slumbered on, it was better than the front seat of the Jeep. I was awakened from my sleep with the potent smell of burning eggs watering my eyes as I blearily cracked them open.

"God, France! Did your mother not teach you how to cook?" I groaned, rolling over on my back. But as I did so, my hip bumped against something solid and . . . physical – and something that wasn't, in fact, a cotton pillow. I became motionless, my eyes staying closed in dread.

"I think I like this new look, love," the voice said, and warm, long fingers grabbed one of my curls that had wrapped itself around my neck. He plucked it free, twirling it around his digit. "Oh, I apologize – I mean Eleanora, that is your name, correct?" My breath became labored when two arms trapped me between him and the bed, his form arching over mine. "Open your eyes, Eleanora. Show me – _prove_ it to me."

"Did you kill him?" I whispered, trembling.

"Who? Your mate departed in quiet a rush, you can never truly rely on friends when someone like me is after you, love. Let this be your lesson." He chuckled underneath his breath, and no doubt I could feel his eyes drifting across my face. "Now _open your eyes_."

I thought I had worked so hard to stay away. It had hardly been more than a full day and night, and he had already caught up to me. He wanted to see me shift into a Hybrid, and if I didn't he would no doubt kill me. I fluttered my eyes open, my vision blurry because of the excess of sleep lingering in my system. That tug I had towards Niklaus, the one I was beginning to loath, bloomed when my eyes connected with his.

But despite that, there was a mile-long barrier separating us. My eyes flickered bright amber, and I scowled at the broad grin that filled the Original's expression. His gaze flickered down to the loose tank top and pajama shorts I was wearing, his expression never once betraying anything but mirth. "Excellent, love. Now, you should go take a shower and get dressed for the day. We have a long schedule ahead of us."

Knowing going against his wishes would only end in pain and fear, I nodded sharply. In a flash he was up to his feet, inspecting me as I gathered a few objects and articles of clothing from my bag. "I see you have been quiet the busy woman since you left Chicago," he noted, eyes swiftly tracing my hair and suitcase again.

"How did you find me?" I entered the bathroom, and although the lavatory was small, François had cleaned it up nicely and had redecorated it to his expensive-liking. I stripped free of my clothing without complaint, Niklaus had probably seen me nude the first time I had shifted in Tennessee, anyways, no need in being self-conscious and shy.

"You left a little present back in Stefan's apartment. I called up a witch, did some voodoo, and here we are – New York City." He hummed with amusement. "You see, Eleanora – you forget that I have been around for a very long time. You could have been in the jungles of the Amazon, and I still would have found you."

I frowned. "What is this connection I feel for you?" I stepped into the shower, the water warm and shocking me everywhere it touched my skin.

"It is called a sire bond. It's a link between a creator and a creation. It is stronger when I am closest, you will want to please me, comply with my direct and indirect order, and reveal your loyalty."

That was strange. I felt a strong bond, but I did not feel a lure to prove him my allegiance. Resolving to keep that bit of information to myself, I swallowed hard as I rinsed the 2-in-1 shampoo from my hair. "So – let us say I come with you willingly, and without a fight and without attempting to flee – will you make a deal with me, to not use compulsion against me unless necessary?"

I shut the shower off, and grabbed the towel that he handed to me from the other side of the door. When I stepped onto the tile of the flooring in the bathroom, Niklaus was standing across from me, arms crossed and expression blank. He slowly spoke, "You are the first Hybrid I have made. From now on, if I so much as even think you are going to plot against me, I will kill everyone you know."

I glared at the malicious intentions leveling in his voice. "Then so be it. I pledge to you, Niklaus Mikaelson."

Niklaus smirked, taking a few steps backward toward the door entryway of the bathroom. "You should go thank the doppelgänger, love. She was very swift to blurt out your not-so-horrific demise to me, when I threatened everyone _she_ knew. Your savior is a coward, Ellie, who knew?" He took hold of the doorknob with his right hand, twisting it absently. "You pledge to me, but with or without your consent, you will obey me, Gray Alpha."

He winked, and closed the door.

_You will obey me, Gray Alpha._

On second thought, he seems to be proving _me_ wrong.


	3. North Dakota

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

**A/N: So I need to stabilize a friendship between Klaus and Eleanora, so I decided to put in my own stories between Klaus finding out Mikael is alive, and then him throwing the party at the Lockwood's and killing Mikael, Basically it is about him making more Hybrids like himself. **

**Usually this is the time for me thank people for reviewing, but I have to have a review, and that saddens me! I need reviews! **

**Opinionated**** people and critics please step forward!**

* * *

**His First Hybrid – **_North Dakota_

**September 1, 2010 – New York City, New York – West Broadway Apartments**

"Here, take this," Niklaus ordered. I barely caught the device in my hands before his black Lincoln Navigator separated his visage from my eyes. I opened the passenger door, hauling myself into the dark gray leather seats. I glimpsed down at what he had tossed to me, the up-to-date Samsung Galaxy Note gleaming, shiny, and brand new in my hands. I raised my eyebrows as Niklaus got into the driver's seat, turning the ignition on with his right hand. "It is programmed with my number, for emergencies."

Niklaus, who at first I had thought enjoyed hearing the sound of his own voice too much, was strangely mute. Since basically telling me I was his to boss and to slave without an opinion, he had been withdrawn in his own ponderings. He had nodded once at my straight-legged jeans, long-sleeved gray Henley, and knee-high black boots - but for some purpose I had imagined him to make a snarky comment. Something akin to, '_Very Harley-Davidson, love_' or '_Ravishing, love, very biker-gang of you_' – or anything in-between something to do with my new Hybrid status.

But he didn't – in fact, him giving me the phone and speaking had been the first words since me cleaning up François's studio apartment and straightening up my suitcase and hauling it into the back of the Navigator. And even as I dared to glance over at his side view, everything in his posture screamed stiff and the clashing of battling musings.

His back was too straight, I feared I would hear his spine crack a few times. The muscles in his shoulders strained against the black long-sleeve, and his bottom lip every-so-often tucked in-between his teeth as one of his own mental thoughts made him angry or irritated. I was also aware of his grip tightening on the steering wheel, but I kept to myself in the abnormal silence, tinkering with the smartphone to memorize where all the icons were and to place my settings to my contentment.

I waited patiently for Niklaus to get on interstate eighty, knowing in nothing short of an hour we would be in Pennsylvania and a way into our trip to wherever we were going – which was my current source of interest. Eventually my seat reclined and my leg kicked out on the dashboard wasn't cutting it anymore, and I opened my mouth. "Where are we going?" I kept my tone neutral when I spoke, not desiring to see him explode over annoyance or frustration in my voice.

Niklaus glanced over at me, almost surprised to see words coming out of my mouth. It was like he had forgotten of my presence, so drowned into his own thoughts. "Bismarck, North Dakota," he said lowly, cerulean eyes flickering back toward the interstate. Before I could question why, he began an explanation. "I got a tip called in from a contact in the west that a couple had purchased a very old werewolf '_dungeon'_, so to speak, one I had been keeping my eye on all summer."

I raised my eyebrows in curiosity. "What makes the 'dungeon' so interesting? Damn, there has to be a tone of those around – well, _everywhere_. Especially mid-west, it's so empty that it is where most werewolves like to make residence."

Niklaus clicked his tongue. "Exactly the reason why, love. The eastern seaboard isn't exactly thrilling in the howling department any longer, I figured a new change of scenery would score me a few."

I folded my hands and toyed with the silver moon phase ring on my forefinger, but that's when I realized that mine was missing from my middle, and I straightened up sharply. Niklaus peered over and smirked, nodding his head toward the glove compartment. "It is in there, love. It's what I tracked you down with." He chuckled roughly. "You enjoy to make your heritage subtle, don't you?"

"Most people don't even see the markings," I shrugged. I dropped my right leg down to the floorboard, reaching down to open up the compartment beneath the invisible black and silver airbag chamber. The ring was as he said, setting there at the corner unmoving. I grasped it and immediately placed it onto my middle finger, sighing with relief as a weight lifted from my shoulders. I slammed the cavity closed, resuming my previous position with steady comfort. "Am I to guess correctly that you are searching for werewolf candidates?"

"Well, I am not picky," Niklaus snorted, holding the wheel with his right hand as his left arm propped up on the door ledge, holding his chin up in thought. "I did change you, it justifies the claim." Entertainment flashed through his features, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. "So . . . tell me, love, you are especially popular around these parts. Are you aware of any large-number packs around here?"

My eyes closed when he finally asked that question. I knew eventually the inquiry would slip through, but I had been hoping to get the Original in a partially better mood before answering. "It's too hard to say, I don't deal with the west too often."

"You cannot lie to me, little Alpha," he snickered, but it no longer sounded amused. A glare cut to me, briefly, and my body went rigid with awareness. It was as if he had realized that our conversation had took on a nicer term, and suddenly it was his life objective to make the air cold and stale once more.

I hastily licked my lips. "I'm not –"

His hand was like a snake, lunging across the area and gripping my jaw, his middle and thumb digging into the bone as he yanked my face in his direction. The pain was tolerable, but I whimpered anyways, the sire bond exploded to life when his eyes glowed an illuminating gold, momentarily meeting my wide olive green orbs before he returned his glare to the road. "Let us be friendly, _Eleanora_." His grasp tightened and I hissed, eyes fluttering to blink away the black dots that temporarily invaded my normally clear vision. Does the sire bond generally make you feel pain if the creator wills it, am I supposed to be feeling so desperate but the feeling is so detached I felt as if it was not my own?

_Do not make this difficult for yourself, girl._

I sputtered, utterly speechless. The voice in my head had been as cold as ice, drenching me from head-to-toe in invisible cool water. My eyes strained to color into the ominous yellow of a Hybrid, and if he wasn't holding my face to secure my mouth it would have been gaped open in perplexity. I felt _everything_ – but it was not my own.

_What the fuck? _I roared mentally, baffled to no level of measure, and it was in that moment that Niklaus jerked the wheel dangerously, ripping his hand away from me as if he had been scorched by the flames of hell himself. He gained control of his steering just before we almost ran off the interstate, his death grip on the wheel renewed as he probably gained the most emotional expression that I will – and probably the only – ever see on him.

I was breathing harshly, my cheekbones complaining miserably but my thunderous ponderings knocking away the ache. I swallowed the bile that threatened to rise in my throat, my scandalous gaze cutting across our three feet difference and connecting to his imploring eyes.

No doubt, we were both thinking along the same lines:

_The sire bond was not meant to include _that_._

* * *

**September 2, 2010 – Bismarck, North Dakota – General PB Parking Lot**

"Yeah, yeah – no, I understand, Marcella." I pressed the heel of my palm against my forehead, balancing my elbows atop of my knees. "I'm just trying to find a solution here, I'm not trying to get you involved."

"Nora, I owe you a lot, quiet possibly my life. I just – it's Niklaus Mikaelson. The Spirits only have ill things to say against him, Nora. Look, if I find someone to look into it, I'll give them this number, okay? Is that alright?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, inhaling and exhaling a soft sigh. "Yeah, yeah that's fine, Marcy. I gotta go, I'll be in tou – or not. Have a nice day." I hung up before she could stutter in a nervous departure, pressing the front of the smartphone against my forehead while considering if it could survive being thrown against the parking lot of the gas station we were at. My passenger door was wide open, me being seated while halfway leaning out for fresh air.

I didn't understand. I explained to Marcella that she and her coven would be safe, as long as I was not 'plotting' against Niklaus, he assumed my affairs were mine alone, not his – but she was so unwilling to offer her assistance to just recover some research from her family's grimoires. The Sage Coven of the North was famous for their spirit and ancestral magic, creating them to be one of the historic and wise amongst the western hemisphere.

She could have easily just asked an Elder, but the big bad Hybrid halted her doing so – her being blinded by fear of rumors only. It was not as if Niklaus was slaughtering every Supernatural entity on this god-forsaken planet! Sucking in a calming breath, I laughed at the irony. She had been my only Coven contact, I had believed that her strength in numbers would have made her more confident and less vulnerable – but alas, I was highly disappointed.

"Why the long expression, love?" Niklaus was wiping the residue of crimson blood from his bottom lip, and I zeroed in on it before shaking off of my hunger, throwing my head back with a slight groan.

"I called the Sages. I thought that if anyone could find an answer, it would be them."

"Ah, I had a run-in with them in Canada once, pretty positive I am the reason a few poor souls resulted to dark magic." He was far too happy when he answered that, and I sent him a look of '_I-wonder-why-they-would-do-such-a-thing?_' My God, this man – I was stuck between him be simply ignorant or a sadist.

"Well, that certainly explains why she offered me a big and ridiculously fearful zero." I slammed my passenger door closed with a little too much force, as well as giving me a seatbelt burn against the side of my neck when I buckled too fast. "Do you know how long it took me to get into their favor and debt? Yeah, a half a dozen vengeful vampires and a stolen talisman returned."

Niklaus chuckled. "You should really do things in my style, Ellie. You could learn a lot. In my line of profession, we bite first and question it later once they're delusional from the pain."

"That was the definition of my transition." I couldn't help but snort at his philosophy. I ran a hand through my ebony hair, having undone its former braid due to the breezy wind that North Dakota provided – it felt too good to pass up as the gusts appeased my long tresses.

On a serious note, my somber mood struck me full force when I pondered why we were even in The Peace Garden state. "Did you learn anything useful?"

"On the other side of town is where the chambers are, so I'm to assume it would be the first house closest to the dark and mysterious facility." Niklaus turned left, pulling onto a hazardously bumpy dirt road. "And I also learned to never drink from a clerk in a gas station, not the greatest blood to fancy when someone is munching on chips and energy drinks twenty-four-seven."

I glanced at him in surprise. "It all tastes the same to me. Perfect, actually."

"Give it a month or two, love. Don't worry, you will surely have a favorite." He shook his head at my naivety. The dirt road we were on began winding and turning uphill, the trees were now more present and thicker, blocking the sun and light from view, leaving shade and obscuring shadows. Niklaus stopped halfway up, his eyes glancing in my direction but in the woods. "The chambers is directly out that way. It is formatted like a storm shelter, you cannot miss it. Go out and make sure no one's in there, for all we are aware there is more than one wolf present for the next full moon."

Without a reply, I opened the Navigator's door and closed it firmly behind me, blurring with indefinite speed toward the 'werewolf dungeon' – or whatever the hell it actually was. Niklaus had not been enlightening on what it was priory, but if I had to guess, catacombs or tombs from a cemetery that long but had vanished from this area. I could hear the SUV driving the rest of the way hill, and for who knows why, I did not think anymore that turning werewolves into Hybrids was such a horrible idea.

Last night, it had been more than a telepathic link. It was like having flashbacks through someone else's head, like a dream. But it had been brief, and I only saw the things that he was thinking of.

It had been of a middle-aged man, but he was not from this time. He was wearing a long-sleeved tunic rolled up to his elbows, the fabric wool and a belt tied around his hips with a sword enclosed into a scabbard. All I could feel through Niklaus was immense pain radiating from the pain in his jaw, and the raw heat agonizing the whip lashes on his bare back. Father was beating him again, this time for creating wooden toys for Henrik with father's hunting knife.

And the events blur into all one massive video – Henrik lying dead with his throat torn open in his arms, his Father gripping his shoulder and driving his sword through his heart to complete the ritual that would eventually lead to vampirism, and Niklaus claiming his first human kill – and inevitably beginning to transition into a werewolf while discovering he was a bastard child.

I wondered how so much could be running through his head in just that moment, but then I saw something that had shocked me. Niklaus murdering his mother in cold blood, feeling betrayed that she had locked away his werewolf gene, and then forcefully making himself lie to Rebekah and his siblings that their father had torn out their mother's heart for betraying him to another man.

I liked to believe that I had insight on Niklaus's motivation, now – even if he was unknowing in the matter. But then again, something told me he was well-enlightened, but was straining himself from questioning me on the matter – which, I was grateful for.

His whole reason for wanting to make more Hybrids was because he did not want to be alone.

Sighing at my thoughts, I reached the cemented steps that lead down to the chambers that went underground. My hearing amplified as I took my first step, but the only sound I could coherently make out was the loose rocks that crunched beneath the soles of my boot. Each step more calculating then the next, my eyes glowed amber, and I could feel Niklaus's presence pushing against mine – he could practically see through my own eyes.

_Careful, love. Instincts having been honed for a millennium, werewolves are territorial. _

_You're talking to the prior werewolf, Niklaus._

That was still a new and confusing ability to have. My newly magnified vision searched into the one-room space, the area was littered with years of gathered dust and cobwebs, but I focused my attention on the shiny metal chains that had been drilled into the cement. Those were definitely not centuries or decades or even years old, judging since there were hardly any rust or scratched against the metallic element.

I heard the sound of a footstep scraping against the ground a second too late, I whirled toward the female human just as she jammed the needle into the base of my throat, plunging wolfsbane into my bloodstream as my back slammed against the rock wall that had been previously to my left. Clawing at my neck, I opened my mouth and gurgled in agony as the world blurred momentarily.

The herb seared underneath my skin, and the immense pain had me on my knees. The woman who had lunged at me fell backward in slight fear as she saw my gold eyes surrounded by a shroud of black, the needle falling against the cement and the glass cracking. "Oh my God," she whispered toward me in complete horror. "What do you want?" she demanded.

I had dealt with wolfsbane on more than one occasion, and each time it really felt as if it burned a whole lot damn hotter. Just as the scalding sensation began healing, the woman attempted to run past me. I lurched forward and looped my arms underneath her arms and around the base of her neck, restraining her so she could not flail or elbow me in the chest or stomach.

A shadow drifted across us from above the entryway of the chambers, and I coughed to clear my aching throat as Niklaus casually walked down the stairs, his facial expression cold. "Wolfsbane, huh?" He asked, eyeing the woman in my arms. "Quiet the find, sweetheart. Are you preparing for intruders?"

She spat in his direction. "Just you, _Hybrid_."

"Hmm," Niklaus hummed, flicking his gaze down to the spit that had landed on the torso of his shirt.

"Listen, we want to help Tony," I said into her ear, my voice hoarse and cracking horribly. "He won't have to go through transitions anymore. You both will have no fear over the full moons any longer."

"Go to he –"Niklaus snapped her neck before she could finish her sentence, her body's weight falling limp in my arms and forcing me to drop her to the ground. He had a fierce sneer on his mouth, cerulean blue eyes flaring with anger for being disrespected in such a way by a mere human.

I pinched my lips tightly. "That was unnecessary."

"_No_, what is unnecessary is her opening that mouth and defiling my title with disgust! I will not stand for such mockery!" He looked on the edge of kicking the woman across the room from rage. "I am tired of these humans knowing the littlest detail, and dramatically enlarging to which they cannot comprehend in their puny minds. They run loose like chicken with their heads chopped off." Niklaus met my eyes. "They're only useful to us as blood."

"Okay," I said slowly, deciding agreeing with him was probably the only solution to calming him down. "Let's close off the chambers, so no hikers get too curious." Keeping one wary eye on the Original, I pivoted on my heel to search for anything remotely useful in assisting the task, but Niklaus abruptly grabbed my upper arm, halting my advancement.

"No need," he said. Niklaus released me, strolling forward and grasping one of the newly-placed chains that had been drilled into the ceiling of the chambers. He gave it one harsh yank, and the metal fell free as well as dirt and chunks of concrete. He brushed off his hands, turning back towards me at the bottom of the entrance. "It should inevitably collapse within time."

As we left, I bit at my lip in question. "How is it that almost everyone is aware of you coming for them, Niklaus?"

"Please, call me Klaus, you sound like Elijah." he sounded exasperated. We trekked through the forest, toward the Navigator. His head tilted in my direction, a wide grin spreading against his mouth. "And should they not?" pride filled his tone, ridding away any antecedent irritation and anger. "I am immortal, Ellie. _Nothing_ can kill me, as long as I shall live. Having a head-start is only necessary in their favor, is it not?"

"An egotistical Original Hybrid," I smirked. "How did this world become so lucky?"

"A long and complete lack-thereof-in-the-fashion-department story, love."

I burst into laughter.

* * *

**September 2, 2010 – Bismarck, North Dakota – Bismarck Police Department**

The police officer's breath smelled of coffee and cigarettes, and the fact that I could smell that – Hybrid or not – from five feet away was almost demanding me to tell him to go brush his undoubtedly yellow-stained teeth. He glanced up at me for the tenth time, and sighed as he realized I was not leaving to sit in the waiting room like half of the dozen civilians. He hung up the phone (the phone I knew that did not have a user on the other end and frowned at me. "What do you want, lady? It's a busy night."

I smiled coldly. "Well, for one, I would like you to be respectful and do your job," I compelled him. "And two, I won't you to look up a name, Tony, who recently moved on the dirt road, Wilksgrove, about ten miles from here."

The man was dazed, eyes glazed over with unawareness for a few seconds before he nodded mutely and swiveled in his office chair, toward the desktop to his right. He typed the address in, clicking on a few more icons and links before pulling up a man's photo. "Tony Gate, married to Laura Wilks Gate. He's actually been here for a year or so, a regular."

"Perfect. You know him?"

"Oh, every guy that goes to Gate's Club does, sweetheart. He owns it."

I smiled widely at my new information. "And can you give me specific direction to that pub, sir?" After receiving the Intel and demanding the police officer do his desk job correctly while attending to the anxiously waiting townspeople, I departed from the station while tugging out my cellphone.

**N Bryer's street, name's Gate's Club, he's the owner. Apparently popular. I'll meet you there to identify him.**

When I located the club, I raised my eyebrows with surprise. It was in the midst of the crowded late-evening city, rows of people lined up outside of the club, and the bouncers checking in people that weren't on their 'hit-list'. My jeans, long-sleeved shirt, and boots practically stood out amongst the short dresses and far-too-revealing skirts, but I weaved myself to the front of the line, grinning when the bouncer gazed at me like I was a fly on his shoe.

He looked me up and down, disapprovingly. "This is an exclusive party," he stated flatly.

"Oh, are there laws for dressing myself up for drinking and a little fun?" I heard a few voices behind me, murmuring and whining complaints that I had skipped the line like kindergarteners. I nodded my head to the closed doors, making eye contact with the bouncer. "I'm a very close friend of Tony," my eyes dilated while compelling him. "He invited me, you should let me in."

He stood there for a few seconds, face blank, but then he frowned at my demanding tone. "Yeah, sorry, sweetheart. You have to wait like everyone else, Tony would have gave me a heads-up if he expected anyone important."

My phone chimed in alert. **They are consuming vervain, the chances are unknowingly. Backdoor is open.**

_A little late for the warning, and also humiliating myself._ I scoffed and smiled lazily at the irritated bouncer, resisting the sudden urge to knock his head clean off his bulking, stocky shoulders. I jammed the smartphone back into my back pocket, excusing myself through the line and into the alleyway adjacent to the club. It was murky and wet from a previous rainfall that had briefly showered through the north, and the garbage dumpster to my right against a brick building needed to be cleaned out extensively, unless these places didn't have any rat problems from the horrendous smell – I didn't doubt it, considering.

The back door was ajar as he had mentioned in the text, but he also left out the part that one of the guard's body was lying against the steps, blood pooling around his throat and chest. I heaved an exhale at his impulsive tendencies he seemed to have when irrationally frustrated beyond belief, grabbing the man's shoulders and dragging him to shove him into the pungent dumpster. Luckily for me, most of the party-goers were already half-drunk and dancing and chatting animatedly as they waited impatiently to get inside of Gate's.

I slipped into the back, the musical base thrumming against the walls and floors, vibrating my legs with each step I took through the back hallways. Even through here, neon and strobe lights blinded my sensitive vision, and the fog machines invaded my nose with the smell of distilled water and glycerin.

I finally turned left to another hallway perpendicular to the one I had been walking through, and I followed my hearing to the music becoming more intense and louder, and the smell of perfume and piquant liquor increasing effectively through the musky air. I pressed my hand on the metal plate of a swinging door, opening it just enough for me to slide through without being noticed.

A strobe light blinded me with bright stars in my peripheral vision, and I winced as my eyes adjusted to the dim, yet colorful ambience that the large and expansive room radiated off of. Bodies were in the middle of the room, a lot of glow-in-the dark necklaces, bracelets, headwear, and even body paint. Young adults and teenagers who had snuck in with fake-ID were gyrating and dancing their stress and fears away, so ignorant of everything occurring around them.

I was on a platform above them, a black metal railing and a stairway separating me from the wild dance floor. The platform circled the whole club, reserved tables for regular, rich clients, as well as for the DJ to the far left and the private bar that was near the back of the club. Right as I took a confident step toward the staircase, an arm slipped around my waist and began guiding me toward the private bar.

Niklaus's wide smile revealed a glowing set of white upper teeth, and his hand stopped just above my right hip. "Right in time for the party, love. I found our guy," his eyes were narrowed in the direction of the few people at the bar in the front, with about two people behind serving. "Tony Gate. He is quiet well-off, is he not?" The music was so loud, even our supernatural hearing had made him bend down to speak into my ear.

"You sound impressed," I replied. "This place is the home of aids and alcohol poisoning."

"Well, why would he give a damn? It would not affect him." He skimmed his arm up around my shoulders, lips brushing against my ear as he spoke. "Compel the lovely couple to return to their reserved table, will you, love?" When we gradually came closer, I observed the male werewolf in appearance. He was above average in height, a few inches taller than Niklaus, with short brown hair, a slight cleft chin, and azure blue eyes that were squinted as he laughed at something a client said.

I clasped the nearest human's arm, an elegant female, and her attention shifted to me as she halted from taking another sip of her margarita. "I think it's time for you to return to your table, right? You love to watch the dancing." I revolved my attention to the baffled man. "And you want to make your wife happy. So you should leave."

The two stood to their feet, still slightly confused on why they left without their drinks, and departed while grasping each other's hand. I took on the barstool right of Niklaus, and grinned wolfishly at Tony – but he was not smiling. "Hybrids," he hissed out. "How did you get in here?"

"Ah, yes . . . the parlor trick with the vervain in the drinks, a nice touch." Niklaus examined the rows of alcohol behind the werewolf. "As we speak of drinks, I am in need of quenching my thirst. A glass of scotch for me, neat please, and for my mate Eleanora here, she seems like she fancies a nice, neat bourbon as well."

"I don't serve to the uninvited," Tony, although speaking roughly, began pouring drinks as he spoke in grumbles. He came to an understanding that if he didn't do as Niklaus said, then there would be an unnecessary bloodshed on his hands. "Now what is an Original doing in my abode, hm?" He slid my glass of bourbon my way, and I caught it agilely with my left hand, the bronze liquid illuminated in the black lights. "I know you didn't just come for scotch."

"I wouldn't travel a day's worth for any scotch, I would simply have it delivered to me," Niklaus smirked. He took a long swig of his drink, eyelids fluttering closed as he savored the liquid. The bottom of the glass clinked against the countertop as he set it down, half of the scotch gone. "It is the same analogy as what I am offering to you, Tony Gate."

The bartender/owner glowered. "No thanks."

"How would it feel, to not break every single bone in your body on a full moon, mate? To shift only when you wish to, to obtain extraordinary powers that only vampires and werewolves can imagine having?" Niklaus chuckled, the sound cutting through the air sharply, but he sounded excited. "Come now, Tony Gate. We both know, that you are a man who is searching for a way out. All werewolves are."

Tony's movements of putting away bottles had stopped, and his right hand clenched around the dish towel that he held. Blue eyes darted around nervously, and a muscle in his jaw moved as he gritted his teeth. "I can't – my family is exhausted and we run through a long-line of werewolves, the mere mention of you and my wife condemns your name."

"Oh, we talked to her earlier." I offered gently, my glass now empty. "Well I talked to her earlier. A pleasant woman, she was."

Hostility stiffened the werewolf's shoulders. "You what?"

"She showed me the chambers, gave me the history, and I explained that someone wanted to offer you a way out of the curse. She couldn't have been more ecstatic to hear, and albeit she did question me on the Hybrid rumors, I made sure to let her know it was a powerful witch who could strip someone of their gene." I've never made such a bull-shitting-excuse in my entire life.

Niklaus was grinning madly. "Ellie is _very_ good with words, mate. Were you not a psychiatrist before this, love?"

"Almost. Just finished my masters." I hadn't really thought about my dreams since being transitioned into a Hybrid. I had suffered and shoved my way through college, even gaining third of my graduating class – but all of that was now down the 'do-not-think-about' drain.

"I like the smart ones," Niklaus shrugged, turning his attention back to Tony. "I dearly hope you are a smart one."

The werewolf reluctantly pursed his lips together, pinching the bridge of his nose while in deep musings. "Y'know what? I can't think on this – just do it and get it over with." Just as he finished speaking his consent, although I knew Niklaus would have done it with or without his answer being a yes, the Original bit into his wrist and held it above his half-full scotch glass. The blood mixed in, swirling into the colored liquid and tinging it dark orange.

Niklaus smirked deviously, pushing the glass toward the club owner. "Let us drink on it, mate."

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**September 3, 2010 – Fargo, North Dakota – Petro Serve USA –**

I tugged out a dark green tank top from my suitcase, using the car door as a shield from other customers at the gas station as I swiftly changed out my Henley, decreeing that two days was enough for the article of clothing. I shimmied out of my blue jeans and yanked on some black pants, resuming my previous knee-high boots. Nothing like changing clothes in a gas station parking lot, that was for damn sure.

I knocked on Niklaus's passenger window – he had decreed it my turn to drive – and he rolled down his window, still on his smartphone. He had been contacting witch after witch for the past forty-five minutes, having them doing locator spells to attempt to track down werewolf packs. He nodded his head at me. 'Going for a snack', I mouthed.

He winked in acknowledgement.

I couldn't delay not eating any longer, and I knew I should never have done that in the first place. But every time Niklaus fed, which was more often than not, I felt his pleasure and satisfaction while draining his victims. I now wasn't positive if I dreaded the next time, or longed for the same reaction for myself while taking away someone's essence.

I walked inside and found the cashier to a be a young woman in her late twenties at best, she was flipping through a magazine in boredom, but not really even reading the titles or descriptions, just glancing at the pictures and moving on. I strolled up to her and got her attention with a tapping on the counter with a fingernail. "Yes, ma'am?" Surprisingly polite, I smiled widely knowing her blood would taste heavenly.

"Um, I'm sorry, you're not wearing a tag, what's your name?" I asked kindly.

"Natalie."

"Natalie, do you mind stepping somewhere private with me? I would like to have a quick word." I swept my arm, awaiting for her to take lead. She nodded calmly, sliding off of her high chair and motioning me to step inside the small office that was for the manager when present. I almost immediately set her down on one of the two chairs in the office, blandly grabbing her forearm and bringing it closer. "Just relax," I told her.

Eyes and teeth changing, I sank my teeth into the smooth flesh of her wrist, my eyes almost rolling backward as her blood, sweet and sugary, flooded into my mouth as I swallowed the substance as swiftly as I could without choking myself. I bit slightly harder and the girl hissed in slight pain, whimpering close to my ears.

Realizing my mistake, I swallowed and heaved myself away from her trembling arm. "Wrap that up and rest," I commanded. "Just sleep and recover." I licked my lips and wiped my mouth as I exited the office, finding a man walking toward me with confusion in his gaze.

"Miss, you are not supposed to be –"

"Your friend running the cash register is sick, so she's resting, but you're okay with that. You should probably take her place until she feels better."

He abruptly looked over at the line of impatient customers, and squawked like a bird with a feather being yanked from his wing. "Oh, goodness! I am so sorry." He rushed to attend and bag their purchases, muttering underneath his breath apologizes as he did so.

I trudged back over to the black Lincoln Navigator, briefly smiling to Tony – the newly turned Hybrid – who had drove his own vehicle to help assist in loading and carting other Hybrids in the future making. Niklaus was finishing up a snapping conversation as I opened the driver's door. "I expect answers, Lydia, not questions." He hung up.

"Daniel." I lug myself in and buckle my seatbelt. "In Topeka, Kansas, he lives in the outskirts in the woods. Alpha of a dozen or so. I think he would be more than willing to accept your offer."

Recalling their past argument with her no knowledge on other werewolf packs, Niklaus smiled. "I never doubted you for a second, Ellie."

She took note of the new nickname he had for her, and decided it was better than 'love'. It _almost_ sounded like a friendly title.

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**A/N: Please review! Please, please!**


	4. Magister

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

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**A/N: Thank you: Mie-Pie, Bobfred, and deadeasue for reviewing on this story! Your commentary was taking so highly, even if some were just a few short words, I absolutely love reviews. **

**Thank you!**

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**His First Hybrid – **_Magister_

**September 16, 2010 – Portland, Oregon – Mother's Bistro & Bar**

"Thank you for coming to see me, Kael; you don't realize how much this means to me." The diner/pub had been one the Warlock had chosen in destination for this prolonged meeting, and I was more than a little concerned how paranoid he was reacting to everything. Kael Sage was a young man of twenty-two, with short, fair blond hair and dark gray eyes – but said blond hair was unkempt into disarray, and gray eyes had shadowed rings around them from deprivation of sleep.

Kael's mouth peeled back into a small smile, but his lips trembled and he dropped the false expression. "I'm not sure if I regret it yet, Nora. I just – there are some things that have gone down." He spoke gradually, as if making sense of his own words as he said them. "Thank you," he exclaimed gratefully to the waiter that placed down his plate of freshly-cooked omelet.

"You are welcome," he grinned. "Can I get you two anything else?"

"A glass of your finest wine, please," I told him, cutting into my French toast with the flat edge of my fork. He raised an eyebrow at having wine in the morning with breakfast dishes, but nodded obediently and swept to regard the other tables that were under his charge. "What kind of things?" I questioned the Warlock when the waiter was out of hearing range.

"I mean, the Sages are too fearful of the Originals forthcoming wrath." Kael hadn't touched his food, and I was positive he had not planned on eating at all throughout this long-awaited talk. "Marcella called me a few days ago; she had felt guilty of not even trying to help you. I'm always outside of the compound, so I figured I can try and assist you."

"Well," I frowned and furrowed my eyebrows. "I kind of just needed some tad-bit info out of your coven's grimoires." This was inside of a vault deep into the Sage's 'compound' basement – as they liked to call it, but was actually just an oversized mansion with far too many witches and warlocks living inside.

"There are boundaries that I can't step over," Kael answered earnestly, but reached up and hooked his thumb into a golden chain around his neck. He lifted the beautifully crafted emerald stone up, which peeked over the collar of his silk white button-up shirt. "But my talisman is just as useful, and I can call upon the spirits of my ancestors for guidance."

"Will they – be willing to help me?"

"After hearing what I believe has happened to you and Niklaus Mikaelson, I believe they will tolerate my disobedience with the urge to reveal supernatural knowledge." Kael tucked his talisman back underneath his shirt, nodding in thanks as the waiter placed two wine glasses and the bottle on our table, leaving while promising to return with the bill in about ten minutes.

I was gaping at him in disbelief. "You – you _know_?"

"I said 'what I believe has happened' Eleanora, so it is merely an accusation. But I am certain that I can claim my guess accurate with a few spells." He poured himself a glass of the red wine, running a hand through his unruly hair before taking a few massive swallows. "But what scares the living hell out of me is the fact that Klaus has to be present as well."

"He won't hurt you, Kael; he wants to know as bad as I do."

"Yeah," he snorted spitefully. "How bad? What if I fuck this up, huh? What if I'm considered a waste of the Original's time?"

I shook my head at his aggrieved tone. "You just said you were certain of proving your guess accurate."

"Yes, I'm certain if the spirits follow my flow in direction. If they decide to get all damn moody, my talisman is the only source of power I have – I can't complete this kind of spell with it alone." He bit at his thumbnail, gray eyes flashing a strange shade of silver in the morning sunlight drafting through a window to our right. It was a trait most Sages' inherited, their unique eye color. I'd known Kael as long as I had been acquainted with Marcella, and he was almost as jumpy and spastic as her, but he was a really good Warlock. He never moved or stuttered during chanting, he was fluent in Latin and several other languages, and he was also a male.

Witches and Warlocks were different in some aspects. Witches were generally better at magic due to their passion, while males were more serene and calm, but their magic usually did not began building into their system until later then Witches, or late into their teenager years. Kael, if I remember correctly, began practicing magic at the measly age of thirteen – which meant he was powerful even if he lacked some self-confidence.

I leaned back into my seat and crossed my arms, balancing my glass on the crook of my elbow. The past two weeks had been hectic and a far too massive blur. After discovering and successfully turning Tony into a Hybrid, Niklaus had gone into a frenzy that I was uncertain of. I was supportive, but just a second hesitant. I gave him locations along with his witch contacts and would help him track down the werewolf packs, but I refused to see the betrayal and hate on my former friend's faces before Niklaus had killed them and they were changed due to the loyalty of the sire bond.

I didn't ask myself: what am I doing? Or: how can I live with myself? Being a Hybrid was more of a relief then a burden to bear. After North Dakota, there was Kansas, then Nebraska, and after Nebraska, to Minnesota. The west was a popular werewolf zone, which was for absolute reassurance.

And since I did not have to sleep like werewolves do, albeit I do enjoy taking a nap every now and then, I felt as if these fourteen days has been an infinite time loop that I was stuck in, but in reality it was not long compared to the life I had left in my immortal existence – which was, eternal, if I don't wind up dead in the long-run.

The glass of wine tasted sweet and almost stale in my mouth. "You doubt your abilities, Kael. If I call Niklaus, he will surely be pissed if you back out, understand me? So if you are going to help, this has to be a done deal." It was a fair warning for his life, if he was to get scared in the midst of Niklaus driving down the interstate, already halfway here. That would not end well for anyone.

Kael grimaced at the thought, refilling his glass halfway. "Yeah, I – I mean no, no let's do this. But your debt to the Sage is cleared, alright? No more calls on stuff you're not sure about, the Elders already don't like you enough as it is."

I smirked, mainly because his words didn't quite reach my ears. He said this now, but if I did call him or Marcella they would try and answer just out of curiosity on what I was doing or achieving. The brother and sister (twins) combo were far too interested in the outside world of the compound of their coven that they were those two misfits of their family that typically got scolded, twenty-two or not. "Yeah, whatever you say, Kael."

The waiter came with the bill in his hand, but I connected eyes with him and spoke sincerely. "I'm sorry; I already paid for our meal. You must be holding someone else's." I smiled warmly as he began apologizing for his rudeness, back-tracking into the kitchen to clear his head on how he could make such an amateur mistake. I drowned my drink and stood up, brushing off my black jeans and long-sleeved maroon red shirt. The fall weather was striking the north with a strong vengeance, but I didn't mind the cool breezes and blanket-worthy nights. "I'll call Niklaus; I assume you have made arrangements on where you will perform this spell?"

"Yeah, there's an empty warehouse on the edge of Portland. Its right north of Linnton Park, on a road called Northwest Newberry."

"Mysterious and of course near the woods," I smacked my lips together in annoyance. Pulling out my smartphone, I signaled to Kael that I would be outside of the restaurant if he needed me. I dialed a number as I stepped outside, the city around me filled with life and businessmen and women travelling to attend to their jobs and trying not to be late to their scheduled meetings.

After a few rings, a voice was heard on the other end. "Yes, Ellie? The meeting with the Sage Warlock fare well?"

"More or less," I replied honestly. "He has agreed to help us. You have to be present, though. He said that he's going to do it at a warehouse just above that Linnton Park, on a road –"

"Northwest Newberry," he answered. "Yes, I am aware on where that is located. What I am curious about is what is 'it'?"

"Truth be told, I have no idea. He said he has his own accusation on what has happened, and with a spell, he could prove it correctly. He's terrified of you, though." That was a very fervent understatement.

"What is there to not be scared of, love?" He sounded greatly amused.

" . . . _Right_. I'll see you soon, say in thirty minutes?"

"Make that a quarter of an hour, we have some unfinished business to attend to with an old friend, don't you say?"

I frowned at the thought of Mindy, the werewolf in residence somewhere within Portland. "Of course. See you soon." I jammed the phone into my pocket, signaling for Kael to come outside. I had taken a cab to meet the Warlock at Mother's Bistro & Bar, so I tugged myself into the passenger seat of his '07 black Chevrolet Tahoe. The road outside of Portland was winding and long, the woods embracing us on either side as he drove me to the warehouse.

I was aware of Kael's anxious actions, like his fingers drumming against the padded steering wheel cover, or him biting the edge of his lip while probably drowning himself in the cons of the situation that could unfold for the future – completely disregarding the pros. That was most Witches and Warlocks, though.

The warehouse was tall and needed to have the exterior metal replaced. Moss and rust had overran and corroded its appearance, and as I stepped outside of the Tahoe, I could faintly hear the sound of a creek and cars zooming down the main road that was not too far in the distance from here. Niklaus's sleek Lincoln Navigator was parked fluidly to the side; his slender form leaned against his door as he waited impatiently.

"So this is our Warlock," his blue eyes scanned the twenty-two year-old. "You look awfully familiar. Do you know an Oliver Sage?"

Kael immediately bristled, and dark shadows passed over his expression. "He's my father."

Niklaus seemed surprise for a split second, and then hummed casually while flicking his gaze to mine. "How convenient – that you aid our problems while intentionally knowing of your father's early demise was done by my compulsion." His eyes stayed connected to mine, and a voice slithered its way into my mind. _His intentions are beyond courage acts, little Alpha. He is a Warlock, he is searching for vengeance. _

I shook my head, my lips pinching together into a thin line. I knew Kael Sage, since he was eighteen and still into his awkwardly lanky stage. _That's not possible. I know this guy, Niklaus. He just – he's doing this for the debt his family owes me._

Niklaus held my steady peer. _Are you positive about that?_

_. . . I don't know. _I swiveled my uncertain attention to a suddenly very nervous Kael, but I made myself believe that he was apprehensive simply from being in the Original's presence. "Y-Yes, well, a lot of people fell to that compulsion," he stammered. "I'm doing this for Nora."

"Alright then," Niklaus replied cheerfully. "What do you know about this sire bond we seem to have?" He pushed himself off of the SUV, unfolding his arms and clasping them behind his back, revealing his age was beyond normal lifespan by simple movements like that. His face was mockingly expectant, and I had a half-mind to slug him in the face – but I wasn't that stupid. If there was a chance for Kael to desire revenge for his father's fall to dark magic, then Niklaus was only fueling that urge.

"The ritual is set up inside, I'll explain everything in there."

Now it was my turn to fidget with edginess as Niklaus remained tense in his spine-chilling silence. "Perhaps you should explain your accusation first, Kael," my voice pleaded with him, because this was going to go downhill very fast and bloody if he outright refused.

Kael's eyes connected to mine, and I felt my shoulders grow heavy with disclosure. "Fuck, I'm so sorry, Nora." And then, without warning and before Niklaus could launch himself to rip out the Warlock's throat, a searing pain slammed into my head like a sledgehammer. My knees gave out as I unleashed a shrill scream, agony burning through my mind like a fire igniting internally.

Something inside of me was aware of the treason, and Niklaus falling to one knee beside me as he suffered through the spell as well. He tried to grab my ankle as Kael began dragging me inside of the warehouse, but he was far too weak from the spirits bearing down on him to make his clutch stronger. I moaned from the pain, clutching my head between my palms when Kael dropped me onto the frigid cemented floor. "What are you doing?" I growled out, clenching my eyes shut.

Kael laughed, but it was bitter and almost sad. "The sire bond you hold is called a _Magister_. A Master Sire Bond, basically. Your transition, which was longer than any average werewolf could last without going insane or dying internally, forced his Hybrid blood to run far too deep into your system during the transition.

Typically, all of his Hybrids have his blood in their systems, but only for a few seconds as a _werewolf – _which creates the sire bond connection with Niklaus's werewolf gene. But not you, yours was far too long, and so it formed a bond that went beyond that of a normal one.

A _Magister_ allows the two users to be bonded by the mind. You can surely hear his thoughts, right? She probably knows more than you want her to know, right, Klaus?" Kael barked out a resentful laugh. I was just now becoming conscious of the fact that Niklaus had entered, albeit strained, he was attempting to mentally block the spirits from hurting him – he was failing disastrously.

"I will rip out your heart!" Niklaus roared.

Kael was not concerned of the threat. "But you see, with a _Magister_, it's not just the mind that's connected." The scalding agony vanished from my head, leaving a sob of relief to escape my throat as my body went slack against the dirt-layered cemented floor. I heard a scrape of something metal against the floor, and then Niklaus's fierce and primal growl, before he shouted in outrage - and then the pain hit me like a strike of lightning.

The torment situated in my chest, near my heart, tearing through my nerves and causing such an immense infliction that I almost lost consciousness for a split, unbearable second. Kael's voice was somber, and reflected his guilt. "And the connection is vice-versa, so it seems like the big bad Original Hybrid does have a weakness, doesn't he?"

"And what are you going to do, Sage?" Niklaus gritted his teeth. "Try and kill Eleanora? I hope you do, because the second you turn your back on me I am going to tear out your spine." I felt a comfort wash over me when Niklaus lugged out the pipe that Kael had impaled him with, and despite the blood coating and sticking my shirt against my skin, it began mending and healing itself without further notice.

"No, not kill you." Kael reached down and grabbed my wrist gently; soothing the skin with his slim, and unnaturally soft fingers that weren't meant to belong to a male. "Sire bonds can be broken in many altering ways, Niklaus Mikaelson, you are aware? And so, just in case you two decide this link will bring more trouble than worth, I just wanted to let you know you have no other options." He cut a malicious glare at the Original. "The Balance of Nature has decreed that Niklaus Mikaelson must and will always have a weakness at their disposal."

Kael's grip on my wrist tightened considerably, and he began whispering lowly underneath his breath, building the words slowly until he was chanting in a strong, fluent Latin. "_Natura spirituum, et usque ad mortem iter est aeternum._" He repeated the fast-paced words three times before the Warlock unexpectedly choked, blood dribbling from his lips, down his chin, and dripping onto my cheek and neck from his kneeling form arching above me.

He fell forwards on top of my prone body as Niklaus was revealed behind him, his hand bloody and the main organ clenched between his fingers. In his other hand he held Kael's talisman, the glowing necklace fading to a dull green as he dropped it against the cement and crushed it between his boot and the floor. I didn't feel any pain as the Latin words etched onto the skin of my wrist, sealing them as a permanent marking. I knew what the words meant, '_Nature and Spirit, bound for eternity and until death._' The Victorian-cursive was small and hardly noticeable, but it was there, and it sent a flare of panic through me.

"Such a Warlock, pity he was to be slain," Niklaus glared with distaste even with his complimenting words. "Are you alright, love?" his voice did not hold any concern, but his eyes did, if not a millisecond. Niklaus extended an arm down but when I grabbed his hand he yanked back my sleeve and examined the markings. Around the words a pentagram had formed, the tattoo had enveloped most of my right wrist. "Did he finish it?" the Original Hybrid questioned aloud.

"My head hurts," I complained with a soft groan, the sound growing when Niklaus helped me to my wobbly feet. "_Dammit_! I didn't – I didn't even see through it. What kind of lie detector Hybrid am I?!"

"Like I told you before, Ellie, you can never truly rely on friends when you're with someone like me."

"You actually said, 'when someone like me is after you'."

"That too. Paraphrasing, love."

"Hell, I need a drink."

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**September 16, 2010 – Portland, Oregon – Forest Park**

"'Ey, Nora! Catch!" Daniel threw a bottle of beer at my head just as I raised a hand and agilely caught it in my left hand, sending him an irritated stare as I popped off the metal cap with just a little enhanced strength. "Something wrong, sweetheart?" He had noticed my recent brooding.

The forest around us was damp and heavily darkened by the shade of the treetops blocking the moonlight from peering in, and it assisted the headache I had pounding at my temples. "I'm _fine_," I snapped, "just waiting for Niklaus to get back."

"What can we say, he's a busy person," Daniel shrugged off my behavior, hopping up beside me on the hood of the Lincoln Navigator. Another annoying trait all of the other Hybrids had. Even if you said Niklaus sucked at dancing or singing, they would make up some strange excuse like he actually was good at dancing or singing, he just had a relapse or his throat was a little sore. It was ridiculous and almost made me want to tear out a few strands of hair.

I took a long swig of beer, hating the bitter aftertaste it left in my mouth. "Tony getting little Miss Sunshine?"

"Mindy isn't a bad person," he reprimanded me.

"She was a bitch as a werewolf; she's now a magnified bitch as a Hybrid."

Daniel's dark eyes flashed with amusement. "You realize you just called her a female wolf so technically –"

"Danny, _stop_." I swiftly cut him off from embarrassing himself, and even if it was just him and me around for the moment, even I would be humiliated by him trying to conjure up something he considered '_funny'_ which generally were answered with blank faces and confused stares.

"Excuse me for making a joke," he visibly pouted.

"You suck at making conversation, what makes you think you can joke?"

Daniel quickly considered my words. "Touché, Miss Gray." He leaned back on his elbows, his calculating brown eyes scanning the woods' foliage. This was the Danny that I liked, the one who was himself and comfortable in any surroundings he was placed in. It was why I had become very close friends with him a few years back, because he adjusted himself into any situation he was placed in. And God forbid the Hybrid sire bond, because he was loyal even without its existence.

When we had located Daniel in Kansas, he had been more than willing to give consent to the transformation. And since their Alpha had shown such leniency toward thinking about it, his pack had soon obediently followed in their leader's footsteps. It had actually been the easiest transitions we had yet to encounter.

"Eleanora!"

My head snapped to the direction of Niklaus's form stalking through the tree line, his face was twisted into suspicion and hostility. _Follow me. _He demanded coldly, walking passed us and toward the back of the Navigator. I followed him without hesitance of his request, worry in my expression. "What is wrong?" I asked when he opened the trunk and yanked out my black suitcase.

"Let us get this out of the way. You know I have been recently thinking of Mikael, correct? My father?" He placed the suitcase at my feet. "Well, that goes to say that I have been threatened of him being alive, and not dead – and that is why I came and found you very quick-like in New York. And as it turns out, Stefan Salvatore just contacted me, and told me that he had been daggered. This was confirmed by my little sister. Anything strange with this scenario?"

"Which part?" I answered incredulously.

"Precisely. Which is exactly why you are going to go ahead of me, to Mystic Falls, and report back anything that leads to my father actually being alive, understand?" He slammed the trunk closed, the lock clicking shut only moments later with an audible sound. "Take Tony's car." Niklaus's eyes connected with mine, and his sigh was heavy. "Do not underestimate the Salvatore brothers; although they are only gifted with half a wit, they make my life a living, annoying hell."

"Can you trust the confirmation from Rebekah?" I questioned him, but my words were tentative, unsure on how he would react to them. I was basically asking him if he thought of Rebekah's disloyalty to him. "I know Stefan is still under your compulsion, but he's a smart guy, he could think of some way to convince her."

Niklaus's face was set in stone, but my suspicions were confirmed. "This is why I am sending you. You tell me, if I should trust my baby sister's confirmation." He gestured to the up-to-date maroon red Toyota Camry. "For the sake of both of us, let's keep this _Magister_ ordeal to ourselves, yes?"

I ran a hand through my curly hair, and decided that perhaps the change of scenery from the west would be a positive aspect of this. And at the mention of the Magister, my glum mood resurfaced once more. I got into the driver's side of the car, the window rolled down so I had a view of Niklaus has he partially bent forward to inspect me through the window. "Niklaus, about the _Magister_. I understand – if you are upset. I didn't realize what was happening –"

He interrupted me, "_Ellie_," he spoke sternly. His voice held no room for conversation on the topic, and I cringed internally.

"Yes?" my tone lowered with defeat.

"Be wary of Mikael."

And that was the end of that. Thank_ God_.

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**September 17, 2010 – Mystic Falls, Virginia – Mystic Grill**

I stretched my arms above my head as I got out of the Camry, groaning when I realized I had went that whole damn drive without even stopping once to just get to this god-forsaken small town. I studied tin green building across the road from me with interest, especially with the amount of people pouring in and out – it was a popular, and possibly only, attraction around the area.

Smelling the liquor from my poised position, I trekked across the asphalt pavement of the main road and entered the cozy demeanor of Mystic Grill. It was dim-lit and small and I enjoyed the aura the small bar/diner reflected off, it reminded me of the Southern Comfort bar in Tennessee that Ray and I used to spend hours upon hours in.

Biting on my lower lip, I strolled up to the bar of the establishment, flagging down one of the workers with a logo tee-shirt. He was pretty young to be working alcohol, but my vision zeroed in on the ketchup and mustard stains along the short apron he wore and I came to the conclusion that the staff must have been shorthanded.

"What can I get you?" The boy asked, wiping some drops of alcohol liquid from the countertop with a dish towel. His nametag read 'Matt'. Matt was a tall and had a stereotype football build, messy short fair blond hair, and quite possibly the second pair of bluest eyes I had ever seen. He looked pitifully sad, though for some reason; albeit he was trying to hide it, but I could tell by the way his shoulders sagged as if a heavy weight had descended upon him. A weight of responsibility?

"Two shots of tequila sounds lovely," I smiled at him. Deducing his age to seventeen or eighteen, I came to the conclusion that he must know Elena from school or simply from the community as a friend. "Say, do you happen to know a Stefan Salvatore?" My smile widened into a grin as the muscles in Matt's shoulders stiffened considerably. "I'll take that as a yes. And, since I know that means you're on vervain, how about you call him for me?"

Matt revolved on his foot, steely gaze imploring my soft olive eyes. "Who are you?" he demanded forbiddingly.

"Well, that is no way to speak to customers. I know Stefan. I'm a friend."

"Well, you probably will not want to be his friend after seeing the asshole –"

"What?" I interrupted, coyly. "Being compelled by Niklaus Mikaelson? Yeah, he can be a bit unfair at times. My boss has a mean streak." I propped my chin on my elbow in thought, studying thoroughly as his blue eyes grew wide with alarm. "_Relax_. I'm not here to kill anyone, that is the last thing I would resort to." I sighed half-heartedly. "But I'm kind of hungry, so tell Stefan to drive over the speed limit," I winked.

I have to admit, as I watched Matt practically trip over his feet attempting to get to the cordless business phone for the Grill, playing the bad guy was kind of fun. Of course, I wasn't actually going to kill anyone (I _am_ starving), but little human Matt did not know that. After receiving my request of two tequila shots from a barmaid, I sent her a thankful smile as I drowned the alcohol in a span of three seconds. It burned briefly, but it was more soothing then uncomfortable.

"I would call you _werewolf_ since that is what you requested, but since I know your name, Eleanora," someone occupied the seat beside me, and I glanced over and smirked at the young vampire. His expression was not jovial, though, in fact, if looks could kill – I was on the receiving end of one right now. "What are you doing _here_? In fact, how could you even show yourself to me after you _bit_ Elena?"

"She bit _Elena_?!" Matt exploded, but was silenced by Stefan's cold glare.

"Stefan," I cried in surprised horror, "I was deathly sick! How could Niklaus and you leave me with a human?!" I suddenly burst into laughter, but it was sharp and overall bitter. "Oh, wait – that's right, I forgot, you failed to mention to Niklaus that the doppelgänger was in your fetish liquor pantry." I shrugged nonchalantly. "And so, me being curious, I was delighted to discover your lost lover, and then lose my mind and attack her mercilessly – but no worries, Stef, whoever was with Elena killed me and her blood also cured me!"

"A short-lived tale," Stefan quipped sarcastically. "The ending was meant to be where Damon snapped your neck."

"So dramatic, Stefan – my ending is not going to be but for a long time." My eyes flashed molten gold in his direction, and the young vampire's face darkened with animosity. "And you see, this works – you are Niklaus's bitch, and I am Niklaus's right hand woman, because let's face it, women get the job done."

_Your feisty attitude is highly attractive, Ellie._

_Why thank you._

Niklaus's voice hummed in my head. _You can stop threatening Stefan. I know you are trying to detect deceit, but you will not gain it from him. Go find Tyler Lockwood and tell him I want the homecoming dance to be moved to his mansion. Flood the gym to set the hook, line, and sinker for that deal, understand?_

I slyly inclined forward and pressed a disarming kiss against Stefan's cheek, but it was more mocking than anything else. "Remember, we're partners here," I smirked as his head jerked back with revolt. "Don't be so _shy_, Stefan. And remember, if there is a _coup_ _d'état_ occurring around here, I will know about it, which means Niklaus will definitely know about it. So let us not spoil the homecoming dance, yeah?" I slid off of my bar stool, my boot balancing on one of the rungs as I clicked my tongue in sudden thought. "Just remember I bite," I advised in a whisper near his ear.

_Uh, being evil is exhaustion, how do you do it?_ I chuckled mentally, waving too enthusiastically to a bemused Stefan and Matt.

_Shut up, Ellie. Just do as I asked._

_Why, of course. One question: why do you want to move this dance? Do you fancy being the Homecoming King? _My fake British accent was terribly incorrect and a winced, vowing silently to never do that again as long as I shall live.

Niklaus agreed. _That was horrendous, Ellie. _He chuckled, but it soon faded._ They think they have moved a few steps above me, Eleanora, but I am to prove them wrong._ _This will be done _my_ way. _

I found a few straggling teenagers lounging outside around the tables that had been set up outside of Mystic Grill for the people enjoyed the sun more, and I kindly (compelled them) where I can find a Mr. Tyler Lockwood. Most of them did not know for certain, but they explained to me that he should be with his girlfriend, Caroline Forbes - who was decorating the Homecoming dance outside of the school in the parking lot.

I thanked them, and ended up resulting to using my enhance smell to locate the Hybrid that had been created second to me. From my knowledge he hadn't even been a werewolf hardly a month before being transitioned into a Hybrid, and by God, he probably had no self-control whatsoever. When I found Lockwood, he was kissing Caroline goodbye by her car, saying that he would meet her here at the dance tonight.

I waited until Caroline was out of vampire hearing range with her car, observing Tyler as he fished his set of keys out of his jean pocket. He was about eighteen years of age with narrow features, dark chocolate brown hair and matching wide eyes. He definitely looked like he belonged being a Hybrid, that much was certain. I promptly appeared at Tyler's left so suddenly he dropped his key's to the ground, the metal clattering as they connected.

"Jesus _Christ_!" He yelled, his expression startling for someone who was supposed to have a sixth sense or something. The first thing he noticed was the fact that I was perched atop of the hood of his black '71 Buick GS, in which he scoffed annoyingly at. "Who the hell are you? Get off my car." Men and their vehicles, I resisted rolling my eyes at his irritated tone.

"Come now, Tyler, can't you feel a connection between us?" My eyes shifted to their Hybrid signature, and he almost instantaneously visibly relaxed at my presence. Ah yes, Mr. Tyler Lockwood was a house-trained dog after all. "Niklaus has ordered you to move the dance to your mansion; you think you can do that for him?" It wasn't even considered bribery from Tyler, everything he expected from Niklaus was teddy bears and hugs – _ridiculous_.

"Um, why –"Tyler blinked at my interruption on his day, and the sudden demand to do-_away_ with everything he had suffered for that day with Caroline.

"He wants to throw a party for Mystic Falls, Tyler! Does he need a reason to celebrate for making more Hybrids? Just move it there," I grinned easily as his defiant frown melted. "Come on, we deserve a little party after those full moons, right?"

"Yeah, but I would need a reason to move a _Homecoming_ dance –"

I cut him off again, absently waving my hand in a _don't-worry-about-it_ gesture. "I have that covered. Just begin making the transfer, okay?" I glided off of the glossily waxed hood, stagnant in front of Tyler as I brushed some specks of glitter off of his tee-shirt. "You make a pretty good Hybrid, Tyler Lockwood, theoretically to Niklaus you were his first." For most males, feed those useless compliments and they shall comply.

"Thanks," he flashed me a short smile. "Can I leave?"

"Right, yeah. Just make this party happen, pretty boy. Hey, invite a band! Everyone likes music." I retreated to the opening of the gymnasium, widening my eyes at the amount of colorful streamers and other bright objects that was a vital headache to even glimpse at. I whistled casually as I made my way to the locker rooms of the gym and around the bend to the girl and boy showers.

It was effortless enough to tear out the pipes on the showers, and them having been on and running, the floor began layering inches with the soapy liquid within minutes. I repeated the process with the men's shower room and hummed with content at my handiwork.

I had a distinct feeling tonight was going to be a long night.


	5. Crashing Homecoming Parties

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

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**A/N: I need Eleanora to portray an actress or someone who has the same description as her, any ideas?**

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**His First Hybrid – **_Crashing Homecoming Parties_

**September 17, 2010 – Mystic Fall's, Virginia – Lockwood Mansion**

I preferred jeans and a plain shirt as my overall appearance. By all means, the shirt could be any style, but I didn't particularly like bedazzled clothing or writing and glitter on the back-pockets of my jeans. But it didn't mean I didn't like dressing up – in fact, dresses were something I enjoyed buying and trying on . . . all girls' enjoyed buying and wearing dresses, it was a part of our nature, no matter what anyone says.

The dress I had bought previously in Knoxville, Tennessee (the only dress I currently owned) was a French Connection Aura Dress, which based it merely around one-hundred dollars (give or take) – which was cheap, considering. It was long-sleeve, albeit very thin in material, and went to the middle of my thighs. It was the color of ash, and while the color was solid at the bottom, it began swirling with light gray and white elaborate designs when reaching my torso, shoulders, and arms.

An honestly beautiful dress and it went very well with the pair of metallic leather sandal heels I had adorned on my feet. And, ironic enough, this was probably the sixth time I had changed outside of a car in two weeks – and I also truly minded. Niklaus needed to set up an operation headquarters or something to that distinctive category, or else there will either be a violent temper tantrum thrown or I will be forced to kill a man who sees me change, who also decides to shove himself on me with perverse intentions.

The Lockwood household was practically vibrating with hormones and cheap perfume from my position outside, which consisted of my hands on my hips, studying the white house with an impressive expression. I could hear a band playing lively behind the mansion, and judging by the drunken cheers and shouts, they were doing pretty well by alcohol-induced teenage standards. Damn, call Tyler Lockwood if you needed a party to be thrown at random – something tells me he's pretty familiar with this kind of lifestyle, though.

I get the whole rebellion teen phase, albeit I didn't go through one (my sister was my responsibility after our parent's deaths), Paige sure in all-of-hell did. And she made sure to justify that phase with every action she irritatingly did: sneaking out through the bathroom window, attending parties and 'accidentally' not returning home, cursing my existence and spitting out insults when I had to forcefully tie her to a chair and sit there for two hours straight without communication. Although she had been sixteen, me twenty, that could have technically been filed as child abuse.

Ironic enough, Tyler Lockwood was another version of the preacher's daughter gone off the deep end and sleeping with every guy because his parent's strictly forbid him not to.

Like before in Bismarck, a hand unexpectedly coiled around my waist, and the only warning I had fleetingly heard was the brief breeze ruffling the tree branches and fall leaves behind me. Niklaus's suit was charcoal black, the wrinkles nonexistent but his black tie was slightly loose around the neckline. His dimpled grin beamed down at me as he began directing us toward the backyard of the Lockwood mansion. "Hello, love – care to be my ravishing date this fine evening?" As some stumbling girls pivoted their heads to practically drop their mouths at the sight of the Original, I tilted my head back and observed him. His teeth bared in a wolfish grin, eyes gleaming with deviousness, he looked every bit as roguish and capable as the first time I had laid eyes upon him.

I rolled my eyes at his words, but locked my left arm around his waist as well, anchoring our sides together. With my heels on, we were roughly the same height, but somehow I still was miles upon miles below his equal in length. "Oh, Niklaus, it would be of high honor." The decorations that had been placed up were absolutely stunning bearing in mind of the tight time zone they had been placed up on. A scent abruptly rafted through my senses and I calmly hummed as my eyes searched through the crowds to see Tony and Mindy huddling with beers located in both of their hands.  
"Did you invite _all_ of them?" I was referring to the Hybrids that had mingled themselves into the wildly populous party.

"Mainly," he shrugged his shoulders in an impromptu manner. He peered down at me. _Like I said, love, I want this to go my way._ "Now, how about a grand speech in honor of our commemoration." He raised his eyebrows in a daring sense, blue eyes flicking toward the stage in with a rugged smirk. "Stefan shall be so pleased."

"Oh, that little handsome vampire," I snorted in ridicule and briefly shook my head at the Original's enjoyment to taunt Stefan. "Such a troublemaker. I'll let you break the news to him, and me go fetch us very strong drinks, yeah?" My arm released its hold from around his back, and he sent me a wink in confirmation as we departed ways for now.

I smiled coyly at the dancing people I slithered by, making my way up the stairs and toward the magnificent house. As I searched around at the '_concession stand_' I was thoroughly disappointed when I came to terms that there was only beer at this celebration. Huffing aloud, I clasped two bottles from the cooler and made to turn around – but someone was standing poised behind me.

When I saw who it was, a grin immediately plastered onto my lips. "Elena Gilbert, you look . . . like you are waiting for someone," I startled her with my identity as recognition flashed in her expression. Her hand subconsciously raised and applied pressure to the area I had torn into with my teeth, and I truthfully could not help but roll my eyes at her timorous frown. "Yeah, I know, I look different then the last time we saw each other – but I guess that's what happens when you die and come back to life."

"Y-You're here . . . with Klaus?" She seemed genuinely confused. "I thought you hated him? He killed your pack!"

I grimaced. "Apply salt to my wounds, Gilbert; I'm trying to get over that. And we have a hate/inevitable Hybrid relationship." Which was partly true, my sire bond was just a slightly modified version, but the teenager did not have to be aware of that. "Y'know, loyalty and all of that fake stuff. Can't say it isn't worth it, though." I observed her intently, just barely noticing a sly and planning gleam in her chocolate brown eyes. "You've changed, Elena," as I spoke, I noted the slight agitation in her expression. "Did you finally realize that Stefan is a lost-cause? Poor Stef, my mother used to say that if he's a messy eater then he's a bed jumper." That wasn't actually a phrase at all. "They all go for sloppy seconds," I clarified the 'saying'.

Elena blinked, and seemed thoroughly perplexed by my words. "He's not the reason I changed," she glared distrustfully. "It's Klaus and his vendetta against everything that breathes." She scoffed at me, turning on her heel and marching back outside from the way I had ventured in. I narrowed my eyes after her, and bit at my bottom lip in thought.

Well that had been a short and snappy conversation.

I made an expression at the teenager's back as she skulked away, annoyance evident in my features as I clutched the two beer bottles. Elena actually intrigued me until the point of interest. It was quite possibly because of her bravery against the supernatural, albeit most elucidate it as stupidity, which was inquisitive.

Despite her human status, Elena spoke and walked like she was slightly untouchable – and albeit that was somewhat factual due to Niklaus's short invisible leash around the girl's neck, I really wasn't sure if I despised her actions or admired them. In whatever the case may be, she would eventually come across an entity far more powerful than her, and they would more than likely kill her based off of her attitude even though it was unintentionally present.

A flash of a black leather jacket persisted that I cast my attention elsewhere, and as I narrowed in on the figure with my senses, a familiar musky cologne filled my nose and I could taste it on my tongue. The same person who had killed me the night I had successfully transitioned for the first time, the owner of the hands that had broken my neck.

The man was my age in appearance, at the least, standing regularly in a broad-shouldered five-foot-nine frame. Oddly enough, I grinned that I was taller than him in these heels. His hair was shoulder-length, raven black, and parted in the middle of his hairline with shorter pieces swaying above his eyes. The most interesting aspect in his appearance, though, was his eyes. Niklaus had ocean cobalt eyes, the deepest blue I had only just discovered – but this man had a pair of eyes that could make most people freeze. Icy blue, possibly almost reflecting silver in lighting, and the part that made me wince was his analytical gaze, assessing everything that stood in his path.

But I could place his similar attributes with Stefan, and knew this must be the elder Salvatore sibling. A smile edging the corners of my mouth upwards, I couldn't help but chuckle when he swept through the front doors of the Lockwood Mansion, wiping the remains of blood from his hand against the shirt underneath his jacket. Hybrid blood, but I was not overly concerned on who Niklaus set up for guard dog – now positively front lawn kill.

"Are you looking for someone?" I asked him just as he began to pass by me without a single glance, noting thoughtfully that he was very swift to go tense in his back and shoulders. "The Mystic Fall's group of misfits has been doing that lately, searching for someone, looking around – it is like you are seeking danger."

Despite the cold and frigid expression he had, a smirk tugged up the left side of his lips. "What can I say? I'm a thrill seeker." He revolved his body's position so he was standing across from me fully, calculating me in his gaze. "You must be Eleanora Gray, the traitorous werewolf, Klaus's bitch number one."

I laughed. "Which title are we referring me as? Eleanora Gray, the traitorous werewolf, or Klaus's bitch number one?"

"Thirds the charm." there was no humor in his voice.

My grin broadened and I snorted at his sarcasm. "I actually like you Salvatore brothers, believe it or not. You're very amusing, despite the part where you killed me when I was defenseless and in terrible pain."

"Well, I did you and the world a favor then. Two birds with one stone." Damon shoved passed me before I could enter another syllable, but my arm blurred forward and snagged the back of his jacket, slinging him against the wall behind me – and to humans, we looked like a drunken couple as I slipped my hand onto his waist, grinning when I felt the stake against my forearm.

_Oh. It seems Mystic Falls is a deceitful little town. Niklaus, Damon has a very stylish stake on him; I suppose it holds more properties besides an Aztec design, yeah?_

_Mikael is here. Confiscate the stake. Dispose of Damon by all means of retrieving –_

Niklaus's orders abruptly incoherently slurred as Damon grasped my arm and pivoted me around so my back was slamming against the interior wall of the house, and I felt my Hybrid burst forth to my appearance and I wildly hurtled myself forward to sink my fangs into the vampire's throat.

My fingers brushed against the stake as he rammed his forearm against my neck to keep me from biting into his flesh, but he jerked away before I could officially grasp the carved wood. I snarled and snatched the nearest sharpest thing (the beer bottles from prior) and broke the bottom off to utilize the sharp end as a makeshift weapon.

"Don't be difficult, Damon," I told him, my previous relaxed and cheerful demeanor vaporizing into the tense atmosphere. "I will kill you if given the chance of getting that stake."

"Come at me, Klaus's bitch number one," he sneered, inky black veins protruding from his eyes.

In a span of three seconds, I sent him crashing through a set of double doors, my heel having previously been smashing against his chest to propel him backwards. "I'm stronger then you," I sung through the slightly smoky air, slitting my eyes with amusement as Damon growled viciously. I stabbed him in the stomach before he could make a move to counterattack against me, clasping the stake and removing it from his clutches just as something painful hammered into me.

It wasn't anything physical, but rather mental.

"_Nobody cared about you anymore, boy!" Mikael's face could be seen nothing more than a demon possessing a vampire's body, and he desired nothing more than to tear it limb from limb, organ by organ, until it would be non-existent. He wondered why it bothered people to such a degree that they would threaten him with the man that created him, a man that was far destructive then he himself. "Who do you have other than those whose loyalty you've forced?" Mikael's eyes narrowed with disgust. "No one. _No one_."_

_Niklaus felt his body go rigid with the animosity that flamed through his stomach, and threatened to unleash upon anything and anyone. The darkness was evident in his expression, though, and he could practically feel his shoulders trembling with internal rage. _

I openly choked on my breath as the present memory seared through my head, and the stake dropped from my fingers as I clutched my head – not able to disable the thick emotions from overpowering the _Magister_.

_He felt the tear fall from his right eye, but it was not one of sadness. It was of pure malice, the hatred for his father was so intense his sensibilities were far too potent to contain internally. "My whole life you've underestimated me."_

His mouth kept moving, speaking something else, but the vision vanished before it could have finished. Before I could gather my senses and take back the fallen stake, Damon swept it into his hold and began running toward the front end of the house.

I staggered for a moment, coughing hoarsely, but then I emerged directly when Damon impaled the stake into Niklaus's chest, the Original's pained cry echoing against the walls. Agony tormented my chest and I almost felt my knees buckle beneath me. "_No_!" I roared, just as Damon flipped Niklaus over to shove the stake in deeper, having missed his heart by a few centimeters. I gritted my teeth in pain as I twisted my fingers into Damon's black tresses and attempted to rip him off of Klaus's temporarily prone form.

"Get off!" I demanded, but my voice wavered from the ache, and weakened from the unintentional blow to the chest, he easily knocked me away and to the right, my mind dazed and the discomfort only worsening. Realizing a second too late my arm had slung across the threshold of the entryway, Mikael yanked me out of the boundaries of the house before I could stagger back, hurling me against one of the white pillars holding up the Lockwood's porch.

My mouth gaped open in horror, and my eyes flashed gold as my instinct became to protect myself against the Original Vampire Hunter. I hastily and almost clumsily knocked his forearm away as he attempted to shove his hand into my chest, eager to rip out my heart in ridicule of the Hybrid race. Mikael merely laughed harshly at my futile tries. Directly above his shoulder, I could see Stefan tackle Damon off of Niklaus – Damon's betrayed expression nothing short of confused and bewildered as he stared unfathomably at his brother, who had saved the Original Hybrid's life for some unknown cause.

Mikael locked eyes with me, "Stop fighting me," he commanded coolly, expression dropping blank.

The compulsion ceased to work, and I had my suspicions that since I was connected to Niklaus, I could not be compelled from anyone else besides him alone – but Mikael Mikaelson did not need to know this. I made sure to widen my eyes and drop my shoulders with relaxation as the 'compulsion' overwhelmed me.

But I saw Niklaus reach over and grab the stake that had been heaved from his chest, and I shoved Mikael toward the opening of the door. "Niklaus, now!" I gasped for breath as the Original Hybrid plowed into his father, the sheer force driving them over the porch steps and onto the brick and cement sidewalk. The stake pierced Mikael and the man began gurgling screams of unimaginable pain – but I could contemplate it since I had momentarily felt the beginnings of the stake's brutal effects.

The Original Vampire Hunter's body began writhing with fiery red and orange flames scattering across his clothing. Shadowed gray veins snaked underneath his skin as he flailed and thrashed but could not stand up to his two legs, or even his feet.

I panted, staring at Niklaus with awe. _My God, are you okay?_ My voice was mentally strained with suffering, but I could only envision what he was currently feeling. Knee's slightly shaking, I staggered over to him and began to grip his shoulder and whirl him around, but his arm cut my connection off and a cool glare met my peer.

"I requested you to get that stake," he pointed at his father's corpse, "away from Damon."

I frowned. "And I did as you had requested, but you jerked me into a present memory visionary rollercoaster from your emotions beforehand. Hence why Damon had stabbed you." Sardonic snickers escaped me as I leaned back away from his looming form, a scowl twisting my mouth. "But of course, having someone to take fault in the blame of this almost tragic failure, Niklaus, how very mature."

His fingers snatched my jaw firmly cutting off the rest of my rant as his face lowered to mine, his eyes still slightly glazed with a layer of moisture. "Do not test me, Eleanora." His face was too close for comfort, and I could visibly see the flecks of yellowish gold reflecting off of his cerulean irises. His fingers slid away from my cheekbones, skimming down to squeeze my shoulder tersely. "We will learn how to control this, eventually. Go locate us a hotel somewhere within Mystic Falls, I'll meet you there with the others."

I flicked my gaze to Damon and Stefan inside. "What are you going to do here?"

"Grant freedom rights to a certain Salvatore."

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**September 18, 2010 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Dandy's Hotel**

It was well into the early morning when Niklaus entered my hotel room, the door gently clicking shut behind him. I had taken an hour long shower before, so I was dressed into a pair of gray cotton shorts, a white tank-top, and my moist hair was still clinging to the side of my neck and shoulders.

The other Hybrids had entered about an hour ago as well, into their own individual rooms, because I had kindly asked the keeper of the moderate hotel to give the building to me for a full week free of any costs – and of course, he had agreed willingly without any hassle.

I observed from my reclined position back on the bed as Niklaus loosened his tie and shrugged off his coat, his eyes clouded with his own racing thoughts since he had yet to say a single word. My legs crossed at the ankles as I released a blatant sigh. "How was your granting speech?"

He frowned, but scoffed. "Nothing spectacular. Damon ran off before I could bow at the waist." He unbuttoned his white dress shirt and threw it somewhere in the corner of the room, rolling his now bare shoulders and glancing down at the dried blood against his chest. He was quiet for a pregnant moment, but then spoke: "I apologize for my previous actions. I had not expected – well, I knew there was a certain scheme at play, but the white-oak stake was not on that list."

I shrugged. "It's fine. I understand – you kind of almost died."

"_We_ kind of almost died."

"Right." I inattentively twirled my smartphone around the top of my thigh, fingers dancing around the edges of the device as I watched Niklaus collapse on his back against the other hotel bed in the room, his legs hanging off the edge. "I have a feeling controlling something to this caliber would mean delving into places that neither of us wants to share."

Niklaus breathed a heavy sigh as his eyes remained glued to the ceiling. "Perhaps, but despite our past experiences, Eleanora, you are the only person I can rely on." He reached into his pocket and dragged out his own cellphone, which was just another version of mine. "Mikael attempted to compel you, but he couldn't because of our sire bond – and so that is a monumental gain for my benefit."

My forehead creased when his statement confused me. "Why? Will Rebekah try to compel me?"

"I would not be surprised if she did," he replied. "But my main concern would be my brothers." He swiped a few times against the touchscreen, and then frowned with agitation as he threw it beside him on the mattress. "Rebekah's either ignoring me, or those damned Salvatore brothers did something they will regret."

It was strange, because everyone seemed to know or have at least become acquainted with Rebekah Mikaelson – but, besides her generous appearance, I haven't even met the second-to-youngest sibling. I suddenly sat up fully back straightening as my movement drew Niklaus's eyes to mine. "Would you be offended if I asked you something personal?"

"That would depend on how personal, love."

"How about, asking you if I could see what your siblings are like? A memory, perhaps? Images?" I licked my dry lips as he narrowed his eyes in acute skepticism. "You can consider this trying to control the _Magister_ – only trying to show me certain things?"

Niklaus was enduringly silent as he pondered the impulsive appeal. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed from his rushing thoughts, but I regarded him with confounding astonishment as he shifted over to the right side of the bed, patting the left section with his nearest hand. "Alright, Ellie. I think I'll accept this little test. Come."

Scrambling off of my bed, I gently lowered myself adjacent to his body, my legs bending at the knee at the end of the bed like his. My shoulders brushed his and I crooked him a sideways smile. "Now if you are so worried about your brothers compelling me, at least I will be able to identify them."

"If you are trying to make me feel good about this decision, you are not."

"If you feel bad about it, then don't!"

He sighed exasperatedly. "Like you said, it's just personal. Just be quiet and let me concentrate." His eyes fluttered closed, and he evened his breath. I scoped the entire left side of his face, and if I hadn't known what was going to occur next, I would have thought he'd fallen into a deep slumber. Niklaus's arm moved, and his fingers curled around my right hand just as reality melted around me, like the beige paint of the hotel room had melted into the scenery it was now.

"_Some would claim that to be cowardice behavior, brother," Niklaus smirked at his elder sibling with as much daring charisma as his ego would allow him to contain, which was not a bashful amount. He grinned when Elijah sent him a scalding glare, the twenty-six winter man evidently annoyed at the blonde. _

"_Not cowardice, I'm resisting your impetuous absurdity, Niklaus," the brunette chuckled ruefully. He had slid out of his tunic and wool boots awhile back after seeing what his brother had planned, discarding him in nothing but his partially drenched trousers. Niklaus was none the better, the two sibling's long shoulder-length hair was practically wild and wet from the lake. "Were we not sent here in search of fish? Imagine mother's face when she realizes we were jumping from dangerous cliffs."_

_Niklaus scowled at his brother's tone. "You make it sound like we are inevitably dooming ourselves, Elijah. This _is fun_."_

"_This is death," the man guffawed loudly, despite his harsh claim._

"_There have been no facts that death is a sad thing," he grinned wolfishly. "Mother speaks of it being a beautiful aspect of life." Niklaus revolved his attention back to the edge, overlooking down over the waterfall and into the depths that the lake below had to offer. He already knew that it was deep enough to break their fall, besides; he'd done it many times before - just in his lonesome. The ripples that the crashing waterfall provided soothed the plunge into the water quiet delicately. He sighed, "Come now, brother. Coward."_

"_I am _not_ afraid," Elijah defended himself stubbornly. "In fact, I will do it right now!" Before Niklaus could cheer joyfully at the exclamation, Elijah took two huge strides and swiftly threw himself over the large cliff. The blond released a blatant shout as his brother yelled all the way down, his form quickly becoming wrapped into the blissful liquid below._

_Niklaus was very agile to follow after him, the free fall coursing his heartbeat and pulse into a racing, unsteady pattern, laboring his breath directly before he felt his skin ignite with ice as the water embraced him from every side. He had made sure to avoid the area Elijah had dropped into, not taking a risking chance of hitting his brother on the descend. _

_He broke the surface of the water with a cough of air, enjoying the smell of fresh breeze and moss as he carefully kept himself afloat. Niklaus quickly revolved his head when he had yet to see his brother since the fall, and within seconds of his peripheral vision being empty – panic set in. He imagined Elijah smacking his head against a rock, his foot becoming snagged in weed and him drowning horribly - he envisaged Mikael discovering the deed, and beating Niklaus within an inch of his mortal life._

"_Elijah!" he shouted, fearful. "Elijah!" he was about to dive into the crystal blue water when he felt a pressure upon his shoulders, dragging him into the substance and forcing water into his nose and mouth as he thrashed against the figure behind him. He coughed and violently gagged, splashing water at a madly laughing Elijah with a snarl. "You – Elijah, you brainless dolt!" He refused to tell his brother that he had been fearful of his disappearance._

"_Me, brainless? My dear brother, you are the brainless one. That was not just fun," he rolled his eyes. "That was quiet possibly the most exhilarating thing I have ever accomplished."_

_Niklaus widened his eyes as his grin broadened. "Want to go get Kol and Rebekah?"_

"_If I get there first, I get to push you in."_

_He barked out a laugh. "In your dreams, brainless dolt!"_

The water from the lake fell upward like rain, the two figures of the brother's sprinting out of the water swirled into one dark color before an altering scene took place.

"_Why do you fancy flowers?" He had approached his sister after many exhausting chores that Mikael had drilled into him, so sweat coated his forehead and he had worn his sleeveless tunic tucked into his dirt-stained trousers. He strolled beside his sister as she walked toward Ayana's for medical herbs. She was taking stride on the right side of the village, to see and pick flowers that caught her interest._

_She sent him an irritated glance but wrinkled her nose in disgust as she saw his ragged appearance. "Oh Gods, Nik. You look as if you crawled through a cow pasture."_

_He snickered, "You are funny, Bekah. But I asked you a question." Niklaus studied his sister, admiring the way her blue eyes – almost the same shade as his – glimmered at his curiosity of her profound hobby._

"_I cannot be too sure. Mother admires the beauty of nature; I thought that perhaps I should as well." Rebekah fingered some of the white flowers that she had weaved into her braided hair. "But what I truly like about flowers it is that they hold no bounds." she clarified my confused frown, "I mean that each one is different. They contain individualism, their own shade of color, their own shape." _

_Niklaus stepped around her to stand prior to his little sister, causing her to halt in just of crashing into him. She blinked owlishly, bewildered to why he had stopped her. "Why think so deeply and emotionally over a plant, sister?" he asked with inquisitiveness. "They die and rot eventually."_

"_Everyone dies and rots eventually, Nik," she sighed. "And it is so like you, soiling my appreciation." She went to shoulder past him in a whirlwind of anger, but he shot out his arm and almost clotheslined her as she huffed in rage. "Niklaus, what in –"Her quick-witted words died on the tip of her tongue as she saw what he held in his hand. It was a small weed branch that spread out with miniature white flowers littering the grass limb. They were elegant. "Where on this Earth . . ."_

"_It's called a Harperella . . . I asked one of the Florist keepers in the city when we went last moon. It's supposedly a rare flower, and the man had offered to bid a price, so I would not tell father." Niklaus winked at her as he placed the flower into the side of her hair, smiling softly as he saw the slight tears swimming her eyes. _

_Rebekah launched herself at him and gathered him in a strong hug, her arms encircling his waist and back as she sniffed into the wool fabric of his shirt. "Thank you, Nik – and Gods, please go for a dip at that lake of yours. You reek." She pulled away while grinning; despite the repulsed furrow of her eyebrows._

"_Oh, Bekah – you know just the right things to say to a man."_

_She abruptly frowned. "No. _No_. _No_, Niklaus!" Rebekah whirled around and began running, the basket forgotten on the ground as she raced toward Finn that was carrying a piece of lumber over his right shoulder. "Finn! I am in need! _No_! Niklaus!" She screamed when he grabbed her and tucked her under his sweaty arm, dragging his clammy form all over his sister's clean one. "Uh, Nik! I _hate you_! Take your dreadful flower back!"_

_He laughed teasingly just to make her temper flare._

The scene disappeared and I was departed with the crème ceiling of the hotel room. I sucked in a sharp breath, grimacing when I felt Niklaus's vice-like grip on my wrist. "I saw Finn, but do you not have memories of Finn and Kol?" my voice croaked from what felt like hours of being unused. I swiveled my head to glimpse at him, but to my shock and surprise his eyes were sealed closed and his chest was moving heavily.

_Is he . . . asleep? _

Chuckling at his predicament, I uncurled his digits from my wrist and carefully rubbing the aching skin. Niklaus deserved a few hours of rest to clear his mind, in the least – but I was happy that he had shared some his past experiences with me. Elijah and Rebekah had been loving and caring back then, as humans, but if those are his good recalling's – what were they like as vampires?

I hummed, standing up and stretching the kinks from my muscles and bones. A yawn shuddered through my mouth and I realized that a nap would be a good thing for me as well.

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**A/N: Please REVIEW!**


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